To The End of the Earth
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: After disappearing with no explanation, four years later Brandi, Jinx and Raphael track Mary down and demand answers.
1. New Start, Old Faces

**Hey, I hope you don't mind me starting a new story but this idea would not leave me alone. I hope you enjoy it. Please review and let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy! **

**To The End of the Earth**

**New Start, Old Faces **

Mary grabbed the bottle of milk out of the fridge but then had to grip onto the counter when she was overcome with dizziness. She wasn't concerned, she knew it was because she was tired and stood up too quickly but her hand strayed to her pregnant stomach, rubbing it in hope her unborn child would settle down.

She turned and reached across the counter for the Winnie the Pooh Sippy cup, wincing when she received a hard kick in the ribs and her hand went back to her stomach. She tried to think back to three years when she was pregnant with her daughter to remember if she was ever this restless. She wasn't due for another nine weeks but this kid seemed to want to break free already.

She glanced at the kitchen clock and saw it was almost 6:40pm; relieved that her husband was due home any minute now; he had promised to take care of her and supply her with takeout food.

She grabbed her daughter's Sippy cup and had reached the bottom of the stairs when the doorbell rang. She groaned and turned back around.

"Seriously, you've forgot your key again…" She was saying as she opened the door but stopped midsentence when she saw it wasn't her husband.

"Mary!" Brandi launched at her, wrapping her arms around her neck tightly. "Oh my god!"

"Brandi?" Mary whispered, her eyes widening a little when her sister was pulled away and Jinx took her turn to hug her.

"Oh, Mary! We were so worried!" Jinx cried. "We thought you were dead."

"I uh…I mean…" She stuttered, looking past them both to see Raphael and Peter along with an older couple she had never met before but they looked eerily familiar.

"Where have you been?!" Brandi demanded, pushing her way into her house. "For four years, we've been looking for you."

"It's complicated…" Mary rubbed her forehead and then realized that the doorstep wasn't the best place to have this conversation. "Look, why don't you all come in."

"We were worried sick!" Jinx claimed as her daughter led them into the living room. "I can't believe you would just abandon us like that…"

"No one knew where you went…We asked your friends at work but they said you quit your job." Raph spoke for the first time but his eyes were on her baby bump.

"Yeah…" She was all she said, wanting nothing more to run from the room and hide. "I'm sorry I didn't leave a note…"

"Leave a note?!" He exclaimed. "Mary, we were engaged…We had finally set a date and three days later you disappear."

"Raph…" She started but found she didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry."

"Tell us why…" Brandi said tearfully. "Tell us what we did."

"It wasn't you…I just…I needed a change…A new start." She placed the cup of milk on the coffee table and her cell phone caught her eye. She grabbed it, wanting to text her husband to tell him not to come home yet…She didn't want everyone still there when he arrived but before she even began typing the message, she heard the sound of a key in the front door.

"So, you just cut us out of your life?" Jinx questioned. "Just like that?"

"Mary?"

They all turned at the sound of the voice and Mary moved forward, so she would be between them and her husband.

"I got dinner and I even picked you up some ice cream, cookie dough, rocky road and mint choc chip to feed whatever you're craving tonight…"

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the crowd of people in his living room.

"They just turned up…" Mary explained, stepping closer to him. "I was about to send you a message."

"Marshall?" The older woman whispered, her own tears now appearing. "Oh, my baby."

It took him a couple of seconds to get over the shock and to hug her back. "Hi, Mom…"

"I thought I would never see you again." She pulled back slightly to look at him.

Marshall turned to Mary and saw she was just as shocked as him. He knew he had to be the one to say something but he didn't know what. He didn't know how to explain to their families why they had ran away.

He stepped away from his mother and moved back to Mary's side. One hand covered their unborn child and the other to cup her cheek. "You okay?"

She nodded and bit her lip in an attempt to keep control of her emotions. She hated how damn hormonal she got when she was pregnant. He leaned forwards and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Oh my god…" Brandi whispered and when Marshall looked at her, he saw she was looking past them and towards the door. When he turned in that direction he saw his three year old daughter, stood shyly in the doorway.

"Daddy!" She ran to him when he looked at her.

"Hey, angel." He swung her up into his arms. "You should be in bed."

"I was waiting for mommy to bring me my milk and read me a story…" She buried her face in his neck when she realized everyone to staring at her. "I got thirsty."

"Marshall…" Seth said, gaining his attention. "I think you better start explaining what is going on here."

Marshall looked from him to his wife and then his daughter in his arms. It was a long story and one, he wasn't willing to share with them but he knew he had to tell them something.

"Okay…" He nodded. "Why don't you all take a seat?"

**TBC **

**What are Mary and Marshall up to? Please review and let me know what you think! **


	2. The Story

**Wow! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or added this to alert/favorite list. It made my day when I woke up the morning after posting and saw them all! Please keep them coming! I hope you like this. **

**Enjoy!**

**To The End Of The World**

**The Story**

Marshall shared a look with Mary before turning his attention to his daughter. "Angel, how about Mommy takes you back to bed to read you a story?"

"No." Her grip tightened around his neck. "I want you."

Marshall sighed and turned to Mary again, ever since she found out Mary was having a baby she had become very clingy with him.

"Go." Mary said softly, not in the mood to deal with a tantrum.

"Will you be okay?"

"Of course she will be." Jinx cut in. "We're her family."

Mary glanced at her before turning to Marshall and nodded.

He hesitated for a second. "I'll be right back…Come on, little miss…Its way past your bedtime."

Mary watched them leave the room and wanted nothing more than to follow them. Her hands were clenched together tightly and she took a deep breath.

"I can't believe you have a kid…" Brandi stated. "And you're pregnant."

"A lot can happen in four years…" She turned back around to face them.

"Obviously…" Raph muttered.

Mary looked to him, wanting to say sorry but she wasn't…Not really anyway. Marrying Marshall instead of Raph was the best decision she had ever made.

"I'll get some drinks…I think we have some snacks somewhere…" Mary said, snatching the paper bag with the ice cream Marshall had brought home and made a quick retreat to the kitchen.

Both Brandi and Jinx went to follower her but Peter blocked their path. "Just give her a minute…She's surprised to see us."

"It's been four years." Brandi folded her arms. "I want to know what happened."

"And I'm sure they'll tell us but just give her a bit of space." He advised.

Brandi sighed loudly and dropped down onto the couch. "Fine."

Marshall reappeared before Mary but when he noticed she was no longer in the room, he excused himself again to go find her.

"Hey…" He said softly, making sure he closed the kitchen door behind him when he saw her leaning both hands against the counter with her head down.

"They have never committed themselves to anything for longer than a week before…Yet they'll spend four years tracking me down…" She said bitterly.

He squeezed her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Mare…"

"Here" She slid a glass tumbler across at the counter to him.

"Scotch?" He questioned, picking it up.

"It's a double…" She commented. "You've got to drink for both of us now."

He smiled a little but sat it back down. He then turned her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"We were happy." She mumbled, her fingers gripping his t-shirt and buried her face into his chest.

"I know…" He whispered, running a hand up and down her back. "But nothing is going to change."

"But…" She started and pulled back slightly to look up at him.

"But nothing…" He cut in, cupping her cheek. "We have each other and we have our children…No one is going to change any of that."

She pushed herself up onto her toes to give him a small kiss. "You're right."

"We have to go back out there." He brushed her hair out of her face. "What do you want to tell them?"

"We tell them the story, I guess." She shrugged.

"You sure?"

"Yeah…We probably should get it over with." She grabbed the tray she had already filled with drinks and snacks. "Let's just tell them, get rid of them and go to bed."

"Sounds like a plan." He took the tray from her and gestured for her to go first. When they re-entered the room, they saw everyone was sat down except Raphael, who was staring a photograph of Mary and Marshall on their wedding day.

"Sorry to keep you waiting…" Marshall said, setting the tray down on the coffee table. "Help yourself."

"We didn't come for refreshments." Jinx stated. "We came for answers."

"And we'll try and give them to you." Marshall replied calmly, sitting on the arm of the chair Mary had chosen, his arm going around her shoulders.

"So, you have a daughter?" His mother queried. "I have a granddaughter?"

"Her name is Hannah." Mary supplied, thinking back to when they first found out they were having a girl. Marshall had told her how his mom always wanted a little girl of her own but ended up with three boys and then his brothers each had two sons.

"She just turned two last month." Marshall added.

"I can't believe I've had another grandchild all this time and never knew." She replied. "I've missed birthdays…Christmases…first words, steps…"

"Mom…" Marshall cut in softly, already feeling guilty for cutting her out of his life. Before Mary, his mom had been the closer person to him. He had missed her more than he thought he would during the last four years.

"I can't stand here anymore and listen to this…" Raph said suddenly, throwing his hands in the air. "What happened, Mary? Why did you leave?"

"Things happened quickly…" She answered with a sigh. "We had to leave."

"Why?"

"I was engaged to one man but in love with my best friend…" She told him but she was looking at Marshall.

"I don't believe you." Raph shook his head.

Mary turned to him. "What?"

"I don't believe you would run away from everything…from your family and your job just because you made a mistake agreeing to marry me." He stated. "I may not have known a lot about you, Mary but I did know some things."

"It was complicated." Mary added. "We decided the only way we could led a normally life was if we started over again, somewhere where no one knew us."

"So, what you really mean is you left because you didn't want us in your life anymore." Jinx said.

"I was putting myself first for once." Mary told her. "I was doing what I wanted."

"We thought something happened to you…" Brandi joined in, sounding tearfully. "We thought you had been abducted again."

"I am sorry…I didn't know you would think." Mary turned to her.

"It was horrible." Her younger sister shook her head. "We found bloody clothes… when you didn't come home that night and we couldn't get hold of you on your cell, we called the police…that cop you knew came over and he didn't know where you were…"

_Four years later._

"_It'll be okay…This is Mary." Raph stated as he paced up and down the kitchen. Although he was trying to reassure Jinx and Brandi, he seemed more agitated then the both of them. "I bet she's just working…" _

"_Then why are all the police here?" Brandi asked, gesturing to the officers from Albuquerque PD searching the house for some kind of clue. _

"_It's just procedure." Peter came up behind her, placing both his hands on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "You've reported her missing and with the clothes you found…"_

"_You think she's been hurt?" She turned to look at him. _

"_How many times has she come home banged up and with blood on her clothes…its part of her job." Peter reminded her. "I bet she came home, changed her clothes and headed back to work." _

"_It's been over 24 hours and she always finds a way to let us know she's okay…" _

"_I'm sure it's going to be fine." _

_Bobby Dorshowitz joined them with a notebook in his hand. "So, you say none of you have seen Mary since yesterday morning, when she went to work?" _

"_She got a call and left without breakfast." Raph answered. _

"_And no one was home when she returned?" Bobby glanced down at the notebook. "You think she changed her clothes and then left again?" _

"_I got home about 5:40pm and saw the bloody clothes on the floor of our bedroom…" Raph nodded. "I didn't think much of it because it's happened before but now can't get hold of her…"_

"_What about her belongings?" Bobby asked. "Is there anything missing?" _

"_A few clothes and a sports bag but sometimes she keeps stuff in her car in case she has to go away for work." _

"_What makes you think this is different?" Bobby questioned. _

"_It's normally pretty unlikely that she doesn't let us know if she won't be home." Jinx supplied. "We also tried to call Marshall but got no answer." _

"_Okay, well I've contacted her office and Chief McQueen is on his way over here." Bobby told them. "Maybe he'll know more." _

"_Oh god." Brandi sat down heavily. "Sometime has happened to her…I mean if she was working then he would know…He would have said…He wouldn't be coming over." _

"_Let's just see what he says." Bobby said gently, turning at the sound of the front door being open and closed. "Here he is now."_

_Stan slowly made his way towards them, his hands in his pocket with a sullen look on his face._

"_Detective…" Stan greeted. "What's the story?" _

"_Well, Mary left home early yesterday morning but we believe she came home at some point…There were some clothes which were stained with some blood." Bobby told him. "One sports bag is missing along with some clothes…no other personal effects." _

_Stan nodded. "Okay you can go Bobby…There's not a case here." _

"_What?" Raph asked. "You know where she is?" _

"_Is she at work?" Brandi stood up again. _

"_What's going on, Chief?" Bobby frowned a little. _

"_They're gone." He told them. "They left last night." _

"_They?" _

"_Mary and Marshall." He confirmed. "They handed in their badges and guns…They have decided to leave the Marshal Service." _

"_That can't be right." Brandi insisted. "Mary would never do that." _

_Stan shrugged. "I was surprised as you but they both wanted to a change." _

"_I don't understand…Why would she leave without telling us?" Jinx questioned. _

_Stan sighed. "From what I can gather, they made the decision fairly quickly." _

"_But….Why would they go?" Raph asked. "Mary and I are engaged…" _

"_Raphael, I'm sorry…" Stan looked at him. "I wish I didn't have to tell you this and there is no easy way to do it but I get the impression that the reason they've gone is so they can be together." _

"_Together?" He repeated, looking at Brandi and Peter quickly before back to him. "Together, together? They've been having an affair?" _

_Stan shrugged. "I don't know the details, all I know is that they've been close for a long time and things haven't been the same since Mary accepted your proposal." _

"_Why now?" Jinx asked. _

"_There was an incident at work yesterday…Mary was hurt, her injuries are not at all serious but that's why there was blood on her clothes….At times like that, it makes you think about the people who you love and you start wondering if you're living your life how you truly want." _

"_And she decided that she loves Marshall and she wants to be with him more than her family and doing her job?" Raph asked bitterly. _

"_I'm sorry." Stan said again. "I don't know what was going through their minds…They never talked to me about their plans but that would be my guess…"_

"_No, I don't believe it…" Brandi shook her head. "I don't believe Mary would do that."_

"_She left this behind." Stan continued, handing Raphael an envelope with his name on. _

_Raph hesitated before opening it but when he did, he didn't find a note but instead Mary's engagement ring. _

"_None of this makes sense." Raph claimed. "We were happy." _

"_I'm sorry." Stan added. "Look, I have to get back to work." _

"_You must know something…" Jinx followed him to the door, along with Bobby. "You must know where they've gone." _

"_I wish I did but they've disappeared…They were good at their jobs…If they don't want to be found, then you won't find them." Stan told her. _

"_This doesn't feel right." Brandi said as all the police officers filed out. "What if Mary is in trouble?" _

"_I'm sure she'll be in touch in a few days." Peter tried to reassure her. "I bet this is just a big misunderstanding." _

"But you never called…never got in touch." Brandi finished telling her their version of the events of what happened after they left.

"I don't know what you want me to say…" Mary said. "You may think we were being selfish and maybe we were but there is nothing we can do about it now…"

"Why did you quit your jobs?" Seth asked suddenly, looking at Marshall. "Since you were a little boy, you always wanted to be a Marshal…even after all our attempts to stop you…Why did you throw that all away?"

"Because it wasn't who I was anymore." Marshall answered, honestly. "I didn't want to spend all my time working and worrying I could get shot dead any minute when I had a family at home waiting for me."

"I managed to do the job and have a family too…Does that make me a bad father?"

"You know I didn't mean that." Marshall glared at him slightly.

"This doesn't add up."

"Look, we're getting nowhere tonight...Are you all booked into a hotel?"

"Yeah, we're staying at a place about 10 minutes away." Peter supplied.

"Why don't we meet for breakfast after we've all had time to think and get some sleep?" Marshall suggested.

"That might be a good idea." Peter looked around at the others we who begrudgingly agreed and started to stand up.

Marshall grabbed the tray of drinks and excused himself to the kitchen, wanting to give Mary a minute with her family but he didn't notice his father following him.

"You know if you're in trouble, you can tell me."

Marshall jumped and spun around to face Seth. "Dad, don't do that."

"What happened, Marshall?"

"I told you…"

"If that was all true, you wouldn't have cut us out of your life." Seth interrupted. "I get Mary not wanting to face her boyfriend and I've seen the file on her family so understand if she wanted a fresh start from them but what I don't get is why you didn't want to see us."

"Dad…"

"You are my son, Marshall…You know I would do anything for you, your brothers and your mother."

"Even if it meant abandoning everyone and everything you know to be with the woman you love?" Marshall questioned and when his dad didn't reply, he cleared his throat and continued. "Let's finish this tomorrow."

"Why do I have a feeling you won't be here when we come back tomorrow?" Seth asked quietly.

"Dad…Please, just let it go."

Marshall didn't give him chance to say anymore and left the kitchen. When he rejoined the others, he found Brandi, Jinx, Raph and Peter waiting at the door, while Mary spoke with his mom. He could see their wedding picture in her hand along with a photograph of Hannah when she was just an hour old.

"Coleen…" Seth put his arm around his wife's waist. "We should get going I'm sure Mary wants to get to bed."

"Oh right, of course." She handed the pictures back to Mary. "But tomorrow I want to see more photos, okay?"

"You got it." Mary smiled sadly, taking a step backwards so she was beside Marshall.

"Marshall...hug your mother." Seth told him.

Marshall looked at him briefly but didn't say anything and instead did as he was told.

"I have missed you so much." Coleen whispered in his ear as she hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you."

"I love you, Mom…" Marshall replied quietly.

When they pulled apart, Marshall stretched out a hand to his dad but was surprised when Seth hugged him too.

"Take care, son."

Marshall fought back the tears as he watched them heading for the door, not listening to Mary's family as they said good night to her.

"Do you think they believed us?" Mary asked him when they were alone.

"I don't know about your family…" He ran a hand over his eyes. "But my dad didn't…He knows."

Mary looked up at him for a second before putting her arms around him and laying her head on his chest.

"It'll be okay…" He whispered, rubbing her back gently. "We'll work it out."

**TBC**

**So, yeah I'm sure most of you guessed there is more to Mary/Marshall decision to leave New Mexico. Let me know what you're thinking! Please review! **


	3. Moving On

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy!**

**To The End of the Earth**

**Moving on:**

_Mary had her back flat against the wall in the space behind the kitchen door. She could hear voices from the other room but couldn't make out the words. She took a risk and stuck her around the door and saw her cell phone on the table. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to make the move to grab it. She wished she spoken to Marshall before coming on this witness visit but she knew he had plans for tonight and didn't want to spoil them. It wasn't meant to be like this… _

_Jacob Kyle, previously Kent was a homicide detective from Boston and had discovered his partner was a rogue cop. He blew the whistle and when an investigation discovered that it wasn't just the one corrupt officer he had to be placed in Witness Protection for his own safety. When she first read his file she was immediately reminded of Robert Epps but Jake was nothing like him. Jake was a model witness…He was devastated he could no longer be a cop but could not keep quiet about what he knew. Mary had only decided to stop by because he had missed an appointment to discuss the upcoming trial. When she got no answer from banging on the front door, she went around the back and was able to force door open. She discovered Jake led on the couch, a bullet through his head. She had been stunned to begin with and returned to the kitchen to have a minute before calling it in. _

_That's when she heard the voices. _

_Her first thought was to pull out her gun and confront them but then she realized she would be out numbered. There was nothing she could do for Jake now and when she heard footsteps coming closer, she dived behind the door. She waited for another few minutes and when she heard laughter, she took her chance. Moving quickly, she snatched the phone off the table and went back behind the door, just in case. She sent Marshall a message, 'at Jake Kyle, need you, bring back up.' Hoping he would get there sooner, rather than later._

_She pushed herself even closer to the wall when someone entered the kitchen. She listened closely and guessed from the noise that whoever it was looking through the fridge. She was debating whether to stay hidden or not when someone else entered the kitchen. _

"_Hudson, put the pizza down and let's go." _

"_I'm hungry…"_

"_We can eat later…We need to get out of here." _

_Mary recognized the voice and a quick look confirmed her suspicions, Daniel Matthews. One of the lead officers working the investigation against Jake's partner. This was getting worse and worse. She had never met Matthews; there was only one person other their office who knew where Jake had been placed. An agent called Marcus Lewis, who was a go between for Jake and the investigation team, including Matthews. She couldn't help but wonder if Marcus was involved to and suddenly felt fear rising up in her. Marshall was with Marcus, that's what his plans were tonight. They were old friends, went back years and were planning to go for a few beers after work. If he was involved then Marshall could be in danger. _

_The sound of a front door slamming shut startled her and she listened closely but she couldn't hear any more noise. She waited another few minutes, praying that they had left; she had to get hold of Marshall, she had to make sure he was okay. _

_She quietly stepped from behind the door but as soon as she did, her path was blocked._

"_Who the hell are you?" A large man moved towards her. _

_She quickly pulled out her glock, aiming at him. "I'm a US Marshal... you might as well give yourself up now…" _

_He laughed humorlessly "I don't think so, honey…" _

_He kept advancing on her and she was about to take a shot when she felt arms being wrapped around her tightly. "Who's this then?" _

"_Said she's a US Marshal." The first guy stopped and smirked, reaching forward and pulled Mary's gun out of her hands._

"_Let me go!" Mary struggled. _

"_You're in the wrong place and the wrong time, darling." The second told her. "Such a same…You're cute." _

"_I said let me go!" She slammed an elbow into his stomach, causing him to stumble back. She used the back of her heel to dig into his shin and threw a fist forward, blindly. She was actually surprised when she made contact with the first guy's nose but she didn't act it. She ran towards the door and almost reached it, when she felt her ponytail being grabbed. Her boots slipped on the tiled floor and landed hard on her back, with a groan. She struggled against them as she was lifted and hit her head against the kitchen table, causing the room to spin. They allowed her to fall back down to the floor and laughed as she tried to push herself up. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. She told herself to take it slow, to use to her brain. She was outnumbered and unarmed; she just had to hold on till Marshall arrived. She grabbed onto a chair to push herself to her feet and was still holding onto it when she saw the first guy moving towards her again. Instinct kicked in and picked up the chair, swinging it in his direction. There was a satisfying crack as the chair broke and the guy dropped to the floor. Guy number two dived towards her, ripping the chair from her hands angrily. She brought her knee up and hit him in the groin hard, causing him to double over. She punched him in the face and didn't hang around to watch him fall. This time she made it out of the room and struggled for a second with the locks on the front door but as soon as she stepped outside, she heard a car speeding down the road, coming to screeching halt next to her._

"_Mary?!" Marshall was out of the car without even cutting the engine. "Are you okay?" _

_She put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath as more cars appeared. Marshall put his hands on her shoulders and forced to stand up straight. _

"_Hey, are you okay?" He asked, again softly but his eyes were scanning her body for injuries. _

"_Fine…" She assured him, waving to the house. "Two guys still in there, I knocked one out with a chair and the other was on the floor but I ran instead of seeing how badly injured he was…"_

"_Okay, go sit in the car…" Marshall started to guide towards it and gestured to Stan when he saw him jumping out of his car. _

"_Marshall…" _

"_Mary, you're hurt." He sat her down in the driver's seat. "We've got this." _

"_Jake is dead…" Mary's shoulder slumped. "He already was before I got here." _

_Marshall nodded and had already guessed as much. "Just wait here." _

_She sighed and watched him talking with Stan then relaying some information to the rest of the team before they entered the house, weapons drawn. _

_Less than 5 minutes later, they returned and Mary frowned when they were alone. As Stan and Marshall walked towards her, she stood up. _

"_Mary, how you feeling?" Stan asked concerned. _

"_I'm fine…What's going on?" _

"_There was no one there…The back door was open and we've sent a team to search the area…" _

"_But they were in the kitchen…" _

"_They probably heard us coming and ran." Marshall squeezed her shoulder. "Right now, I think we need to get out of here…" _

"_But…" _

"_Marshall is right." Stan cut her off. "We need to get you to the hospital…Get that head looked at." _

"_I'm not going to the hospital." Mary crossed her arms, trying not to wince at the pain that shot through her ribs. "I need to figure this out…" _

"_Well, we're not doing it here." Marshall stated. "Let's go back to the office…" _

"_But Jake…"_

"_I'll stay and make sure everyone knows what they're doing." Stan told her. "Go back with Marshall and I'll join you."_

"_Fine." She sighed and glared at her partner. "Stop looking at me like that." _

"_Like what?" He shrugged innocently. _

"_Like I'm going to break." She walked around the car to the passenger side. "I'm fine…." _

Mary sat up suddenly and gasped for air. It took a few seconds to take in her surrounding and she realized she was in the bedroom she shared with her husband. Although confused to why Marshall had left the bedside lamp on, she was actually relieved not wake up in the dark. When she looked to his side of the bed, she saw it was Hannah curled up against her and not her husband. She wasn't there when had gone to sleep but she guessed Marshall wanted them both close by tonight.

"Mare?" Marshall said quietly from the doorway. "You okay?"

She let out a long, shaky breath and nodded a little.

"Bad dream?" He asked softly, crossing the room and sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.

"Just…remembering that day." She replied, brushing her hair off her face.

"Can I get you anything?" He took hold of her hand.

"No…" She shook her head. "Just stay here for a bit."

"Of course…" He smiled and moved to lean against the headboard when she scooted over to give him more room.

"Its past 1am…" She commented, laying her head on his chest. "Why are you still up?"

"Just taking care of a few things." He replied, putting one arm around her shoulders and the other covered her hand which was placed on his stomach.

She stayed quiet for a few minutes, playing with his fingers; tracing his wedding band. "We have to leave here, don't we?"

He sighed. "We could stay if you want…It's been four years…Things are different now."

She turned and looked down at their daughter sleeping peacefully. "We can't take that risk."

"No, probably not." He agreed softly.

"I just…I like it here." She whispered, returning to her previous spot. "It feels like home."

"I know but it'll be okay…" He kissed her forehead. "I promise."

_**XxXxX**_

"Do you think they've gone out?" Brandi turned back to look at the others after getting no response from banging on Mary and Marshall's front door for five minutes.

"Their cars are still here." Jinx gestured to the two vehicles in the driveway.

"They knew were coming back…" Coleen frowned. "I don't understand."

Seth pushed his way to the front. "Step back…"

"What are you…?" Brandi started to ask but before she could finish, Seth forced the door open with a well-placed kick to the lock. "Oh my god!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Raph grabbed his arm but the marshal glared at him before pulling free.

Seth entered the house and knew immediately that they were gone and was not coming back. There was only a small amount of things missing but it was enough to confirm his suspicions.

"Mary?" Brandi called out. "Mary, are you here?"

"I'll check up stairs." Jinx stated and Raphael followed her while Brandi and Peter headed for the kitchen.

"Seth, what's going on?" Coleen asked her husband. "I know you know something."

"They're not here…" Brandi and Peter re-entered the room.

"They're gone." Seth muttered, staring at the fireplace which was missing the photo frames that were there the night before.

"We think some of their clothes are gone…" Raph stated as he and Jinx joined them.

"They've ran again?" Coleen's eyes filled with tears. "No…I've just got him back."

Seth put his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"I don't understand…" Brandi shook her head. "I don't get it…What did we do?"

Suddenly another man appeared from the hallway armed with a baseball bat and Seth immediately pulled out his gun.

"Everyone stay where you are!" The elderly man demanded.

"It's okay…" Seth held up a hand in surrenders and put his gun away. "I'm a US Marshal."

The man frowned a little and lowered the bat. "A marshal?"

"Yeah, we're looking for the couple that lives here." Seth handed him his badge to confirm who he was.

"The Hunters?"

"Mary and Marshall…" Seth nodded. "Do you know where they are?"

"They left." He shrugged. "About 3am this morning."

"But they're cars are still here." Jinx said.

"They drove off in one I haven't seen before….." The man informed them. "But it's suspicious if you ask me…"

"How so?"

"I was awoken earlier because Marshall was in the backyard burning things…When I noticed later he was loading up the car I went out to see if everything was alright…He said they were moving because he had a new job." He told them. "But who moves in the middle of the night and leaves their house and all their belongings behind?"

Seth ran a hand over his eyes. "I'm sure they'll have someone that will be back to deal with it all."

"Hmm, well it's a shame…They were a nice couple…Reminded me of me and my wife when we were younger."

"Well, thank you for your time." Seth forced a smile, grateful that the other had remained silent and allowed him to do his job. "We'll let you get on with your day."

"Okay…" The man was halfway to the door when he turned back. "You never said why you are here?"

"Marshall is my son."

"Your son?" He repeated. "That's strange…Marshall told me his father was dead."

Seth felt a stabbing pain in his chest. "We had an argument… I was hoping to resolve it."

"Oh, well if I see him again, I'll let him know you were here."

"I'd appreciate that." Seth replied.

He waited until the man disappeared again before letting out a frustrated groan and hit the back of the couch hard.

"Seth?" Coleen questioned.

"They're gone….We won't find them again."

"But that doesn't make sense." Jinx rambled. "We found this time…We can find them again."

"We can't…"

"No, he's our son…We have a granddaughter…"Coleen cut him off. "We have to find them! Use your contacts…"

"It'll be no good…"

"We know they're using the name Hunter." Brandi said helpfully. "That's a start…"

"No…"

"If you won't help then I'm calling Andrew and Robert…" Coleen searched her purse for her cell phone. "They'll want to find their brother…"

"We can't!" Seth told her. "We have to let them go."

"Why?!"

"Because we're going to get them killed!" He raised his voice and everyone fell silent.

"What do you mean killed?" Raph questioned, stunned.

"They're running from something." Seth stated. "I had my suspicion and everything that has happen the last couple of days has confirmed it."

"I don't understand…" Brandi frowned.

"Look around…There is nothing left that can link them to this life…no photographs…no documents…nothing." Seth said, lowering his voice again. "I bet they took enough clothes to fit into a couple of bags and nothing more…"

"They're in danger?"

"I know, Marshall…He wouldn't be putting us through any of this if it wasn't important." Seth replied. "He is protecting his family and he's not going to let anything interfere with that…not even us."

"So, that's it?" Brandi cried. "We never see them again?"

"For everyone's safety, we need to stop looking." Seth told them.

Peter tried to comfort Brandi while Raph put an arm around Jinx. As soon as he was told Mary had ran off with her partner, he knew their relationship was over but he had always wanted answer. Now he wasn't sure what to think. He wondered whether Mary truly did love Marshall or was she just with him as a cover.

Papers on the coffee table caught Seth's eye and when he got a closer look, he had to fight back tears; they were drawing, obviously done by Hannah. They were all pictures of the family and someone had wrote, who each person was meant to be. Seth realized that this was the closest thing he was going to get to have a picture of Marshall and his girls. He knew it would have been too risky to leave a real photo behind and couldn't help but smile proudly at his Marshall's thinking. He thought about the drawing he already carried around in his briefcase and now more than ever did he regret not making more of an effort to spend time with his son.

**TBC**

**Okay, so I think most of you pretty much guessed that M/M were in hiding…but there is still more to come! Please review and let me know what you think! **


	4. Going It Alone

**Hey, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Please keep them coming! They make my day! **

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**Going it Alone:**

"Do you think they've found them?" Eleanor questioned Stan, once he put the phone down.

"I don't think the whole Shannon family would decide to take a vacation to Maine with Seth and Coleen Mann just for fun." Stan sighed.

Over the last four years, Stan had kept track of Jinx and Brandi Shannon. Partly because he knew they never accepted the story about Mary and Marshall wanting to start a new life together, so they were looking for them but also as a favor to Mary. He knew they had a tendency to get into all kinds of trouble but Mary had always been around to help out in the past.

That morning he had got a tip off saying that they along with Peter Alpert and Raphael Ramirez had took a trip to Maine. It didn't take long to find that The Manns had flown out to join them to.

"So, what now?" Eleanor asked.

"I don't know." Stan replied. "We don't know for certain that they've been found but I'm willing to bet, if they have been, they wouldn't be hanging around for too long."

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She knew over the last four years, he had constantly worried about Mary and Marshall and had missed them. "They'll know what to do…They'll be okay."

He gave her a small smile and patted her hand. "I know."

Still he couldn't help but feel useless, just liked he did four years ago when it all started. Those two had become like family to him and he would have done anything to protect them. Since they left, it had haunted him not knowing where they were or if they were okay.

_Four Years earlier_

"_So basically your telling me that you have no clue what the hell is going on?!" Mary exclaimed, pacing around the office in front of Marcus. _

_After refusing to go the hospital to be checked out, Marshall had fixed her up as best he could with the first aid box they had at the office. When Agent Lewis arrived and Mary told him exactly what went on at the house, he immediately go into the phone. Now it seemed the investigation was uncovering a whole lot more than they were all expecting. _

"_Mary, sit down and listen…" Stan advised, shooting a look at Marshall who uncharacteristically quiet._

"_Listen to what?" She spun around to glare at him. "He's doesn't know anything!" _

"_I know that there is a witness dead…I know that now you're the only one that can identify the people responsible…I know that quite possibly the majority of officers working this case could be in on it…" _

"_Why should be believe you're not." Marshall finally spoke, his voice low but steady. _

_They all turned to look at him; Stan raised an eyebrow but stayed silent and Mary was surprised by the comment. She had been thinking it but she was always suspicious of everyone. Marcus was a good friend of Marshall; if he thought that then maybe he had a point. _

"_You shouldn't….At this moment in time I am suspecting everyone and I could not blame you for doing the same." Marcus shrugged. "I can only give you my word that I'm just as much in the dark as you are right now but honestly if I was you…"_

"_What?" Mary questioned when he trailed off._

"_It's not going to take long for word to get out you were at the house…Matthews and whoever he is working with and for aren't stupid…He knows you'll be able to identify him and possibly blow their whole operation…" _

"_So, you're saying Mary is in danger…" Stan said although they had all pretty much come to that conclusion already._

"_The problem is, we tried our hardest to hide Jake and they still found him…." _

"_Wait, wow, back up a second…This is starting to sound like your suggesting I go into hiding."_

"_Mary…" Stan sighed._

"_No, Stan, come on…" _

"_Until we know what we're dealing with it might be a good idea…" _

"_Marshall…" She turned to her partner for support. _

"_Mare, if it was anyone else you know what you would be saying…"_

"_If this was a witness or a member of the public, sure…But I'm a US Marshal!"_

"_For a few days it might be a good idea to disappear." Stan reasoned. _

"_Just a few days?" _

"_Maybe a week or so…" He added._

"_Months might be more accurate." Marcus stated._

"_This can't be happening…"_

"_Listen, I'm going to head back to my office…Let you guys discuss this." He stood up and gathered some paperwork. _

"_You're not interested in what I do?" _

"_It's probably best for everyone if I don't know…" He sighed. "If you do decide to leave then I would suggest you tell a minimum amount of people…and I could take a guess at saying the only people you trust are in this office right now, but I'm not one of them…"_

"_Marcus…" Marshall stood up and turned to his friend. _

"_I understand." He held up a hand. "I advise you do take cover, at least until we figure this mess out." _

"_Thanks, Agent Lewis." Stan followed him to the door. "I'll speak with you later." _

"_Marshall…" Mary looked at him, helplessly. "I can't leave."_

"_Mare, I think you have to." He moved over to her. "We'll figure it out." _

_She dropped down into her chair and covered her face with her hands. "This can't be happening…" _

"_We need to move quickly." Stan rejoined them. "Mary, we need to get you somewhere safe as soon as possible." _

"_I can't just leave…" _

"_Look, this office is secure…No one can get up here unless we let them…So, stay here while we get things going." Stan told her. "Everything is going to be fine, Mary." _

"_There's some cherry pie left in the fridge…Why don't you go grab a slice while Stan and I get to work." Marshall suggested._

"_Jesus, it must be bad if you're giving up your half of the pie…" She muttered and headed for the kitchen area but mainly to get some time on her own. _

"_Hey, I said a slice!" He called after her. "I expect you to save me some!"_

"_Where do you want to start?" Stan asked Marshall as soon as Mary was out of ear shot. _

"_We get her a car, money and somewhere to stay…all of which can't be traced…"_

"_You think its risky going through the Marshal Service?" _

"_They found Jake." Marshall shrugged. "I don't want to take that chance." _

"_You're right…" Stan ran a hand over his head. "Okay, I think I can get hold of some cash and I'll talk to a few people I know…There's a few place she can hide out at." _

"_I sort out a car…" _

"_Okay, so meet back here in a couple of hours and then the three of us will head out?" _

"_Sounds like a plan." _

"_You want to break it to her?" Stan nodded in the direction Mary had gone. _

_Marshall smirked. "Coward." _

"_Damn right." Stan replied as he walked towards the exit._

_Marshall found Mary sat at the small table, the pie untouched in front of her. _

"_So…" He sat down opposite her. "Stan taking care of a few things, then we'll leave." _

_She slowly looked to him. "This is real, isn't it…I mean, Stan said a few days but it's not going to be a few days is it?" _

"_Mare…" _

"_I have to leave now." She whispered. "I have to leave or they're going to come after me and everyone around me." _

"_We can deal with this together…" _

"_No, Marshall…You know I'm right." She pulled her and when he tried to take it. "The only way I'm going to survive and stop other people getting hurt is if I leave…Alone…Tonight…Now." _

_Marshall stayed silent, not wanting to admit it but he knew she was right._

"_I have to go…" She pushed herself to her feet._

"_You need a car…" He stood up and blocked her from walking away._

"_What?"_

"_You need a car…I can get you one…And you can ditch it in a few days just in case but you need something to get out of New Mexico in."_

"_You can sort me a car out?"_

"_Yeah…" He nodded. _

"_I need to get some clothes from home…" _

_He knew it was dangerous but also knew she would not take no for an answer. _

"_Get the car and meet me at my place in 30 minutes?" _

"_Okay."_

"_Marshall?" She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "You know, you're my best friend…that you mean…"_

"_Mare…" He cut her off, his voice shaky and his eyes suspiciously shiny._

"_But you know, right?" _

"_I do." _

"_We better get going before Stan gets back…" _

Stan had been surprised when he returned to an empty office. He had worried when he saw a note from Mary, telling him she was going it alone because it was the only way to make sure her location reminded secret and the people cared about stayed safe…

But truth be told, he hadn't been entirely surprised when he saw Marshall's marshal badge right besides Mary's.

**TBC**

**So, a bit more information about Stan's role in the whole thing. Also, Marcus…What do you think? Good guy or bad? **

**I know there have been some site problems and people haven't been able to open new chapter or review! I'm hoping it's fix now though, so please review! **


	5. Going into Hell

**Okay, here's the next part! Thanks to everyone who had reviewed! Sorry about the last update, I accidently uploaded the wrong chapter…My mistake due to lack of sleep, not the site being buggy. **

**I live the UK and for this story I've been pretty much staring at a map of US, trying to work out Mary and Marshall's travel plan….I've also been googling how long it takes to drive from state to another… So, sorry if it's a little wrong, unfortunately, never had the chance to travel the US myself! Lol! **

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**Going into Hell**

When Mary opened her eyes, it took a few seconds to remember where she was and what was going on. She stretched a little and turned to look at Marshall, who had his eyes focused on the road.

"Where are we?"

"We just crossed into Vermont…" He glanced at her. "Did you manage to get any sleep?"

"I got a couple of hours…" She stretched her arms out ahead of her. "We should stop for a while…"

"It's not 8am yet… I want to keep driving for a bit longer."

"You've been driving since 3…and you've had no sleep." She shifted in her seat so she could face him more comfortably. "You need to rest."

"I'm fine…" He assured her. "I want to get a bit further…"

"Marshall, we have been here before, remember?" She said softly, putting a hand on his leg. "It's going to take us weeks to find somewhere to settle…Months to start feeling safe and secure…"

"That is why we need to get as far as possible right away…"

"But it's not just us now…" She cut in. "Hannah is going to be awake soon and will need breakfast…She is also going to be confused and disoriented…We both know that at moment, she's not going to want me."

He sighed but knew she was right.

"And tadpole is kicking up a storm…" Mary referred to their unborn child, running a hand over her stomach. "He's not going to like being cooped up in this car all day."

He glanced across at her again. "It's not fair when you use the kids to manipulate me."

"I know but it works so well." She grinned at him then pointed to a sign. "Look, there's a diner coming up…We can get breakfast."

"Another hour driving and we'll be in…"

"Marshall, don't make me grab the wheel like last time…"

He rolled his eyes and signaled as they came up the diner. "You nearly killed us…"

"You pissed me off." She glared at him slightly.

"I was helping!"

"Are we really having this argument again?"

"You're only saying that because you know I'm right…" He mumbled.

"I'm not admitting to anything…"

_Four years earlier_

_Mary stripped off her dirty and bloody clothes and shoved them into plastic bag, planning on throwing them in the trash later. She knew she didn't have time for a shower but was refusing to go anywhere looking like an extra from a horror movie. She pulled out her most comfortable jeans and a plan tank top then reached into the bottom of her wardrobe to grab a sports bag. She started to fill it with clothes, a pair of boots and a couple of pairs of sneakers… She didn't have to put much thought into what she was packing; she had never really been interested in clothes before. She gave the room a quick scan and her eyes fell on the old box of letters from her dad. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, picking it up and holding it in her lap. Before she could lift the lid, there was gentle knock on the door. _

"_Mare?" Marshall called softly, stepping in. _

_She quickly tossed to the floor on the other side of the bed so he wouldn't see. _

"_Are you ready?" _

_With another look around, she stood up and grabbed her bag. "Yeah, let's go." _

_He reached out and squeezed her shoulder as she passed but she didn't pause or say anything. She silently followed her out to the car and wasn't surprised when she held her hand out for the keys. _

"_No." _

"_What do you mean no?" She questioned. "How am I meant to drive without the keys? Do you want me to hotwire it?"_

"_I'm driving." _

"_That's going to be a neat trick when you're not coming with me." _

"_Mary…" _

"_Marshall, you're not coming with me." She said firmly. "I'm going alone." _

"_You're hurt." He reasoned. "Just let me drive you to Roswell and then I'll get the train back." _

"_I'll be fine…"_

"_Please, Mary…" He begged. "It's about three hours' drive…You can get some sleep…You need it." _

_She rubbed her eyes and sighed; he was right, she was pretty tired. "Fine but only as far as Roswell." _

_He smiled and took her bag off her to put in the trunk as she got into the passenger seat. "I hope you don't mind, I raided your fridge and cupboards for food." _

"_You found food in my fridge and cupboards?" She asked in surprise, looking to the backseat where there was a box filled with soda, water, chips, candy, chocolate and fruit. She could also see he had made up some sandwiches to. _

"_I know you get hungry when you're bored." He answered when she saw her looking at him, questionably. _

_She placed her hand on his arm. "Thanks, Marshall…"_

"_It's your food." He shrugged, starting up the engine. _

"_No, not just for that…" She replied. "For everything." _

_He brought her hand up to his lips. "That's what friends are for." _

_She swallowed the lump in her throat and felt tears burn in her eyes. Laying her head back against the head rest, she tried to get a hold of her emotions. He reached into the back before handing her a bottle of water. _

"_Thanks." She whispered twisting the lid open and drinking it almost in one go as he pulled out of her driveway. _

_They had only been driving ten minutes when Marshall noticed her eyes struggling to stay open. _

"_Sleep for a while." He ordered softly. "Get some rest."_

"_Okay…" She agreed without argument and he when looked over again a few minutes later, she was fast sleep. _

_She was disoriented when she woke up and it took her a minute to remember what had happen. Then she suddenly noticed that it was sunny. When they had left her house, it was growing dark. _

"_Marshall?" She turned quickly to look at him. "What the hell?!" _

"_Hey, good sleep?" He smiled at her. _

"_Marshall?!" She said again, looking at the small digital clock on the dashboard. "9:17….AM?!"_

"_You slept all night." He replied. "Do you feel any better?" _

"_You were meant to stop in Roswell." _

"_Oh we got there hours ago…Thought I would keep going." He shrugged. "Welcome to Tulsa." _

"_Tulsa?!" Mary repeated, still staring at him. "I don't understand what is happening right now…"_

"_We're in Tulsa…Second largest city in the state of Oklahoma…"_

"_What happened to Roswell?!" She cut in annoyed._

"_We passed through about 9 hours ago…" _

"_I've been asleep for 12 hours?" She rubbed her still tired eyes. _

"_Yep, you needed it." Marshall answered. _

"_God, my brain won't work." She groaned. "It feels like the time I took those sleeping pills…."_

"_Did you know that the first shopping cart and the first parking meter were invented in Oklahoma as well as the first radio station west of the Mississippi River…?" Marshall stated. "Also, the first electric guitar was invented by an Oklahoma native…"_

_She rolled her eyes but then looked at him closely before eyeing the empty water bottle which she had drunk when they were still in Albuquerque. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw him shooting a nervous look at her._

"_You drugged me?!" _

"_Mare…" _

"_Don't!" She pointed a finger at him and glared. "What the hell were you thinking?!" _

"_You needed to rest…" He said. "You needed sleep!" _

"_So you drugged me?!" _

"_There was no way you would have slept otherwise…" _

"_Damn right! Did it even accrue to you that I would have still been out when we reached Roswell?!"_

_Marshall stayed silent, his eyes focused right ahead._

"_Oh my god…" She said slowly. "You never intended for me to be awake in time…" _

"_Mary…" _

"_Why?" She questioned. _

"_Look, you must be hungry…"_

"_Marshall, just when are you planning to return to New Mexico?" She asked. "You do realize the longer you stay with me the easier it'll be for someone to track me…"_

"_Well, that's not a problem…"_

"_What do you mean?" She frowned. _

"_I'm not going back." _

"_Well, where are you going then?!"_

"_Nowhere." He answered. "I'm staying with you." _

_Mary's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. _

"_If we keep going, we can be in Missouri in under three hours…We can stop for a while…Get some hot food, then we'll ditch this car and get something new…" Marshall continued. "Then if we drive for the rest of the day, we can stop for the night in Wisconsin…"_

"_No." She shook her head. "No…"_

"_Did you have somewhere you wanted head for?" He glanced to her. _

"_No." She said again, more firmly. "Pull over." _

"_Mare?" _

"_Pull over!" She ordered. "You are not coming with me…You're going home…"_

"_I've made up my mind…" _

"_Marshall, pull over now!"_

"_No." He kept calm which annoyed Mary even more. _

"_Pull over!" She grabbed the wheel, turning it so the car veered off the road._

"_Hey!" Marshall exclaimed, breaking hard as the car left the road, causing them to both jerk forward but when Marshall turned to check if she was okay, she was already opening the door. "Mary?!"_

_She stormed around the front of the car and pulled open his door. "Get out."_

"_Mare…" _

"_Marshall, get the hell out of this car and go back to Albuquerque." _

"_I've already told you that's not going to happen." _

"_Fine…Keep the damn car…I'll walk."_

"_Mary…" He sighed, undoing his seatbelt and jumped out as she started down the road. He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. _

"_Get off me!" She tried to pull free when he spun her around to face him. _

"_You really thought I would just let you go?" He asked. "You really thought I would do that when you're in danger?" _

"_I'm capable enough to look after myself." _

"_You're on the run from who knows who…With nowhere to go with nothing but a few clothes you stuffed into a bag." He kept hold of her arm but loosen his grip. "You have no money…" _

"_Oh and you have a top secret stash of cash hiding somewhere?" _

"_I do…." He nodded once. "I've sorted everything we need."_

"_Yeah right…"_

"_I got us 6 different IDs….each with credit cards and driving licenses…" He informed her. "I also got hold of 10 dollars cash and a couple of disposable cellphones." _

"_I don't believe you." She crossed her arms. He had been with her since leaving Jake's house except for when he went and got the car but he had barely been gone 30 minutes and he had time to pack some food. He would not have had time to do all that too. _

_He stepped away from her and opened the car's back door, pulling out a backpack. He undid the zip and pulled it open for her to look in. _

"_How...? When…?" She stuttered. _

"_I've told you before… I'm a man of many talents." He closed the bag and tossed it back in the car. "I have contacts…"_

"_We don't know who these people are…They may have connections to the Marshal Service who can trace…"_

"_I didn't go through the Marshal Service." He cut her off. "Trust me, Mary…Those people who killed Jake would not be able to trace us through that stuff." _

_She sighed and leaned back against the car. "Marshall…You can't do this." _

"_Do what?" _

"_Come with me…I can't ask you to do it." _

"_You haven't…You don't need to." He told her. "I'm already here."_

"_By coming with me, you're giving up your career…" _

"_I don't care." _

"_I do!" _

"_Mary, it's done." He told her. "You need to listen to me…I'm not letting you do this alone." _

"_What about your family?" She asked. "Your parents and brothers…your nephews….None of them would know what happened to you." _

"_And if I stayed in Albuquerque I would never know what happened to you." He replied. "I cannot live like that…It's probably selfish on my part but I don't care." _

"_Please…Please, just go home."_

"_You told me I couldn't quit…" He reminded her. _

"_Fine…You're fired…Happy?" She asked. "You're free, you can go and live your life without having to be the keeper…I release you."_

"_Why are you doing this?" He asked frustrated. "Why do you want me to go so badly? I thought you trusted me!"_

"_Because I don't need you!" She insisted. "I don't need someone to watch me…I don't need someone to protect…I don't need a keeper…I don't need you!"_

"_You're my partner." _

"_Not anymore…" She shook her head. "I stopped being your partner when I left my Marshal badge on Stan's desk."_

"_And my badge is right next to yours…." Marshall told her. "Doesn't make a bit of difference…You're my best friend…My partner…Nothing is going to change that." _

"_You idiot." She hit his arm. "You gave your badge in…"_

"_Mary…"_

"_You are so meant to be the smart one…" She hit again but this time on the chest. "Why the hell are you following me into this?!" _

_He grabbed her arms to stop her hitting him again. "Don't you know by now I'd follow you to the end of the earth?"_

_She stared up at him, suddenly feeling very tired again. She stopped struggling against him and let her head fall forward. Without realizing her forehead ended up pressed against his chest. _

"_I do know that…" She whispered. "But I'm not going to the end of the earth…I'm going into hell…"_

"_That's okay, too…" He replied, moving his arms to wrap around her and pulled her closer. "If we're together, in a few weeks we can take over the place and have some fun."_

_His comment made her laugh quietly but she didn't move from where she was. _

"_We should get going…" He told after another few minutes. _

"_I want you to come with me, Marshall…If there is anyone in this world that I trust right now, then it's you….but I don't want you to get hurt." She told him. "I can't let you stay…Please, just go." _

"_I would be more hurt if I did go and never saw you again…Never knew if you were okay." _

"_Marshall…"_

"_Look, we're stood on the side of the road, probably looking like a crazy lunatics…The last thing we want is to draw attention to ourselves…" He started to guide her back to the car. "Can we discuss this later…Tonight, when we get to Wisconsin?" _

"_Fine…but I'm not changing my mind." She answered. "Tomorrow, I'm leaving alone and you're going back to New Mexico."_

"_Whatever you say…." He rolled his eyes._

"_And I'm driving." She pulled him away from the driver's door. "You need to get some sleep."_

"_Just don't get arrested for speeding." He advised, earning himself a glare as he made his way around to the other side of the car._

**TBC**

**What do you think? Mary is not happy about Marshall tagging along at the moment! Please review! **


	6. Breakfast and Coffee

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! All reviews mean the world to me! Please keep them coming. **

**Enjoy!**

**To the End of the Word**

**Breakfast and Coffee:**

"Is that good?" Marshall asking, watching Mary and Hannah tucking into a pile of pancakes covered in syrup.

"Hm-um…" They both said around a mouthful and he couldn't help but smile. He never got tired of watching them together with their matching hair, eyes and appetite.

"Share?" Hannah held a sticky piece of pancake out to him.

"Hey, don't give him the good stuff…" Mary poked her in the side gently, causing her to squirm and giggle. "He picked boring scrambled eggs…"

"Mama no…." Hannah laughed, her fork dropping to her plate with a clank.

While they were distracted, he took the opportunity to reach across to steal some food off Mary's plate.

"Ow!" He snatched his hand back when he was stabbed with a fork.

"I can't believe you just tried to steal food off my plate." Mary replied, putting a forkful of pancake into her mouth. "While I'm 8 months pregnant, no less."

"I saw an opening and took a chance." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his hand.

"I would have thought you would have learnt by now."

"I like to live on the edge every now and then…"

"Well, that's a good considering what's going on here." She sighed softly.

"Hey, come on…it'll be fine."

"So, what's the plan then?" She questioned.

"We head for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania… With a couple of stops, we can be there by tonight." He replied. "Then tomorrow we can go to South Carolina and stay there for a few days…Figure out our next move."

"Go home?" Hannah cut looking between the two of them.

"Not yet, baby girl…" Marshall told her. "We're going on an adventure."

Her eyes lit up. "Hannah go?"

Marshall nodded. "All of us."

"Mama and Daddy?"

"Yep."

"Baby?"

"Well, he kind of goes where I go…" Mary said teasingly but Hannah frowned.

"No baby…" She shook her head.

Mary and Marshall shared a concern looked; when they discovered they were going to have another baby, they thought Hannah would be thrilled to be a big sister but she reacted pretty badly to the news.

Mary shook her head a little, telling Marshall to let it go for now. She knew they would need to deal with it soon but when they were sat in some highway diner, on the run from their family and unknown threats was the not the time.

"So, what do you think baby girl…You want to come on an adventure with mama and me?" Marshall tried to steer the conversation away from the baby.

"Yeah!"

Mary smiled a little and sat back, listening to him talking about where they were going and what they would see. He had always told her stories full of huge adventures and she now wondered whether it was because he knew this day might come. That they might have to pack up and leave without warning. This way Hannah was excited about going, not scared at the change.

"Mare?"

"What?" She snapped back to the present. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"You finished?" He nodded to the waitress who was stood next to their table, looking bored as she waited to clear their plates.

"Oh yeah, sure…" She pushed the plate towards her as Marshall pulled out his wallet.

Mary helped Hannah put on her jacket while Marshall paid. He then leaned down and picked her up. He looked across at Mary and smiled, holding out his free hand to her. She returned the smile and gripped it tightly. She automatically thought back to when they stopped four years ago….

_Marshall slowly woke up when he felt the car coming to a stop and his eyes shot open when heard the door open then close. He sat up straight and saw Mary walking towards the entrance of a Starbuck. He scrambled out of the car and had to jog a little to catch up with her._

"_Were you going to leave me sleeping in the car?" He asked, stretching out to stop the door closing behind her. _

"_Can I not have five minute to myself?" She said frustrated, glaring back at him. _

"_So you can sneak off?" He questioned. "Leave me here alone."_

"_The thought there cross my mind…" She said unconvincingly. _

"_You're forgetting it's me…I know how your mind works." _

"_Oh yeah?" She looked to him. "If you know me so well, what am I thinking right now?" _

"_Something I can't repeat when there are children around." He glanced at the family stood behind them. _

_Mary rolled her eyes and took a step to the counter. Marshall winced as the young guy at the cash register smiled welcoming. _

"_Good morning, how can I help you today?" _

"_Coffee." Mary ordered, not evening looking at him but instead searched her pockets for some cash. _

"_Well, coffee is our specialty…" The guy said jokingly and Marshall groaned quietly as Mary's head snapped up. "We have frothy coffee, we have flavored coffee…we even have iced coffee." _

_Mary tilted her head to the side when he let out a chuckle. _

"_We have decaf and we have low-fat…"_

"_Strong and black, large." Marshall cut in, knowing Mary was reaching her breaking point. "Make it two." _

"_Okay-dokey…" He turned to place their order. _

"_Huh, so that why you're here." Mary commented and Marshall raised an eyebrow at her. "To stop me from shooting annoyingly happy coffee makers." _

_He just grinned knowingly and placed enough cash on the counter. _

"_This doesn't mean I like you again." She added snatching her coffee before it was set down. _

_Marshall didn't respond instead grabbed his own coffee before following her and for once not leaving a tip. They might have had ten thousand dollars in cash but he didn't know when they would be able to get some more money and right now, every penny counted. _

_When he reached the car, he watched Mary and was surprised when she pulled open the backdoor instead of the driver's. _

"_Are my eyes deceiving me? Are you letting me drive?" He asked with mock surprise. _

_She leaned into the car and pulled out his backpack. "Take this." _

"_Why?" He questioned but reached out for it. _

"_Go." She told him but then continued when he just stared at her. "Take the money and go home." _

"_Mary…"_

"_This is crazy…" He shook his head. "What do I need to do to convince you I'm not going anywhere?" _

"_Nothing…I don't need convincing." She answered. "This isn't about me being scared you will eventually abandon me when things get tough…I know you wouldn't…Even if you wanted to, I know you wouldn't…"_

"_So, what's the problem?" _

"_Why do you want to stay?" She asked_

"_Because you're my best friend…because I want to help you."_

"_You want to protect me?" _

_Marshall hesitated before replied, knowing how Mary reacted when she was coddled but answered anyway. "Yes, I want to protect you." _

"_Don't you get that I want to protect you?" _

"_I do get it." He told her. "But it still doesn't change anything…I'm staying." _

_She groaned and rubbed her tired eyes. When she looked again, she saw Marshall putting the bag back into the car before pulling open the door on the driver's side. She decided to let it go for now, still determined that once they reached Wisconsin they would go their separate ways; she just needed to convince Marshall that it was the best thing for both of them. Deep down, she knew she wanted nothing more than to have him by her side but she also knew she would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to him. It was just under eight hours until they reached Wisconsin and Mary planned to use that time figuring out a way to get Marshall as far away from her possible. _

"Mare?" Marshall placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She shook her head a little to clear it. "Yeah, sorry just thinking."

"Ah, never a good sign." He replied teasingly as he pulled open the back door and placed a squirming Hannah into her car seat.

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to grab a bottle of water for the road…You want anything?"

"I'll take a coffee." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Double shot."

She nodded and headed back into the diner. She placed her order and as she waited for their drinks, she turned to watch her husband and daughter through the window. Marshall was crouch down, finishing strapping Hannah in before reaching for the pink princess backpack. It was filled with books and toys that they hoped would keep her occupied during the road trip. There were days when she couldn't believe that this was their life. It was so far from what it had been in Albuquerque and although they had start again, give up the job they loved and leave everything and everyone behind, Mary couldn't help but think they would not have this if they hadn't ran. She often wondered whether she would have married Raph, knowing that she had doubts about their relationship before this all started. She wondered how long it would have taken Marshall and her to admit their feelings for each other…If they even would.

"Ma'am…"

She snapped back to attention and grabbed her drinks, muttering a quick thanks to the young girl behind the counter before heading back out to her family.

"You ready to hit the road?" Marshall questioned when he saw her as he stood up and closed the car door.

She didn't reply, instead pushed him against the car and kissed him deeply.

"Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?" Marshall asked when she pulled back. She had made a lot of chances since they settled in Maine but she still wasn't one for displays of public affection.

"Just wanted you to know that there is no one on this planet that I could all this with."

He reached out and pushed her hair behind her ears. "I do know that."

"Good." She handed him his drink. "Now let's get out of here before little miss kicks up a fess."

Marshall nodded his agreement and took a mouthful of what he thought was coffee but then gagged at the taste. "This isn't coffee…"

"Nope."

"I asked for coffee." He frowned.

"I didn't say I was going to get it for you." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Mary…"

"Oh suck it up…Its green tea…I have to drink it, it won't do you any harm to reduce your the caffeine intake." She continued, reaching out and grabbed the car keys. "You nap…I'll drive."

"You shouldn't be…"

"Do not finish that sentence." She warned. "I can drive for a few hours…By then it'll probably be time to stop again."

Marshall sighed, knowing no matter how much he wanted to protect and do everything for Mary, she would never let him. "Fine."

"Good." She leaned up and placed another quick kiss on his lips. "Drink the tea, it's good for you."

**TBC**

**Please review! Let me know what you think! **


	7. Flying Bullets

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you are all liking the flashbacks. It's pretty cool writing two different 'Mary/Marshall.' Please keep the review coming! **

**Enjoy!**

**To the End of the Earth**

**Flying bullets**

Marshall dropped down onto the bed with a loud sigh before turning onto his stomach and burying his face into the pillow. They had driven all day and with trying to keep Hannah occupied while also keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, had been exhausting.

"You want to take a shower?" Mary questioned, lowering herself carefully down beside him.

"No." His reply was muffled by the pillow.

"You realize I'm the one that's seven months pregnant, right?" She said, one of her hands starting to slowly move up and down his back. "I'm the one that's meant to be too tired to move."

He turned his head only enough to look at her with one eye. "You spend all your time insisting that pregnancy doesn't slow you down or stop you from doing anything…You can't have it both ways."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying…"

"Saying what?"

"That I'm worried about you."

He sat up. "Mary…"

"You're stressed out…You're pushing yourself too hard." She squeezed the tensed muscles in his shoulders. "I get that you want to protect us but we don't need you to run yourself into the ground during the first week."

He let his head fall back and moaned quietly as she used both hands to massage. "I don't want what happened last time to happen again…"

"I know but we don't even know if we're still in danger."

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "But we could be."

She sighed and wrapped her arm around his back, laying her head on his shoulder. "This is why I need you not to run yourself into the ground."

"I know you're right." He agreed. "I'll try but I just keep remembering how hard it was last time…"

"I know…Me too." She took on his hands with her free on, linking their fingers together. "But it's different this time….For one, I'm not trying to plot to get rid of you."

"Yeah, that was pretty annoying." He told her. "Don't do that again…"

"Like it would work." She rolled her eyes. "You can't take a hint."

He grinned. "I knew you needed me."

"Did not." She answered and he just raised an eyebrow. "What? I can look after myself…"

"Whatever you say."

"But for the record, I'm glad you stuck around." She leaned across to kiss him.

"There was nowhere else I'd rather be." He led back again and pulled her down with him.

"Even after the bullets started flying?" She rested her chin on his chest to look up at him.

He brushed her hair back from her face. "Especially then."

_Marshall had fallen silent hours ago; at first he had tried to provoke Mary into talking with random trivia but for once it didn't work. He knew he would have to fight her to stay and he was willing to do it. He was sure she would back down eventually but it would probably take a while. He was actually flattered that she wanted to protect him but it still didn't change his mind. _

"_It's getting late." Mary finally broke the silence. "We should stop for the night soon."_

_Marshall nodded. "What about dinner? Do you want to grab something before we find somewhere to sleep?" _

"_If you want." She muttered, pulling off the highway. _

_Marshall sighed quietly, it was going to be a long night and he knew he would have to keep a close eye on her._

_They found a small diner and although Marshall wanted anything but a greasy burger, that's what they both ordered. It was cheap and they both knew the money had would not last long. They had stopped in Missouri liked Marshall had suggested to change cars. They went to a used car dealership and Mary managed to charm the salesman into selling them silver 1995 Ford Taurus Sedan for 2000 dollars, 650 dollars under the asking price. Marshall still wanted to change cars a few more times just to be safe but he knew it would cost them. _

"_We should get out of here…" He said, noticing that two of the waitresses were looking at them. _

"_What's your rush?" Mary asked, still eating her burger. "Some documentary on the TV you don't want to miss." _

"_They're watching us." He nodded to the counter._

_Mary turned and as she did, the two girls quickly got back to work. She rolled her eyes and returned to her food. "God, Marshall relax…They're teenage girls…They're probably gossiping about something…or hey, maybe a miracle has happened and they have a crush on you." _

"_Still…something doesn't feel right." He ignored the insult. _

"_Fine." She pushed herself to her feet. "If it'll make you feel better." _

"_It will." Marshall replied, following her back to the car. _

_The first motel they stopped at told them there were no more rooms available and while Mary talked to the guy behind the check in desk, Marshall stayed back and observed. Just like in the diner, Marshall had an uneasy feeling. He told himself he was just being paranoid, that they had driven for over 24 hours all the way from New Mexico through to Wisconsin without any problems. There was no way of them being traced or the people after them knowing where they were headed. _

"_Come on…I got a name of a place 5 minutes from here." Mary told Marshall, grabbing his arm and pulling him along with her._

"_Maybe we should just keep driving…" He suggested as they got back into the car. _

"_The plan was to stop in Wisconsin for the night." _

"_I know…"_

"_I want to sleep in a normal bed." She claimed. "And then tomorrow we'll talk about what's next." _

"_But…"_

"_Marshall, can you just drop it?" She asked frustrated. "I promise you, I'm not going to ditch you in the middle of the night." _

"_Okay, fine but if this next place doesn't feel right, we're not staying." Marshall agreed against his gut feeling. _

"_Whatever." _

_They drove in silence and thankfully the motel was easy to find. When Mary stopped the engine and got out the car, she was surprised that Marshall didn't follow her. _

"_You're not coming?" She leaned back into the car. _

"_I'm going to make a call." _

"_A call?" She repeated. "Are you insane?" _

"_It's a burn phone, Mare…I'm not stupid." _

"_You better know what you're doing." She warned. "I'll be right back." _

_Marshall watched go inside before reaching into the back for the backpack. He pulled out one of the many phones he had brought and dialed the number for his friend who had help get him the IDs and the money. He would love to call Stan or his family but he knew it was too dangerous. He had considered going to his Dad for help but could not risk dragging his family into this mess and getting them hurt. _

_His friend was a guy called Nathan Hobbs and within an hour of Marshall calling and telling him the situation, he had everything he needed. Nathan had been in the army for years and Marshall knew he was involved in a lot of top secret mission but knew better then to ask about it. They had met after Nathan had left the army and briefly worked with FBI. It had also been the same case that Marcus had worked on and the three of them became friends, so he knew Nathan was perfect guy who would be able to pass on information about the case. Marshall had earned a favor when Nathan was working on an undercover operation; he had been concerned about his family so Marshall had taken three weeks' vacation time and acted as security until Nathan returned. He always told Marshall that if there was anything he needed then to just call him…Marshall now intended on collecting and he just hoped he was right to trust him. _

_The phone call was brief, Marshall getting enough information to start to worry. He thanked his friend and quickly left the car, heading inside to find Mary but she exited as he was halfway across the parking lot. _

"_I got us one room…"_

"_What did you tell them?" Marshall questioned, looking past to an employee who had followed her out and was stood watching them from the doorway. _

"_Just that we needed a room." _

"_We need to go…" He pulled her back over the car. _

"_But I just paid 80 bucks…"_

"_Mare, just get in the car…" _

"_What the hell is going on?!" She asked but did as she was told, climbing into the driver's seat and was surprised when he didn't protest._

"_I'll tell you later…" He replied. "Just drive." _

_She sighed and started the engine. Marshall turned in his seat to look behind them and saw that the employee had disappeared. He grabbed the bag again and started searching through it. _

"_Where am I driving too?" Mary asked. _

"_Anywhere away from here." He answered. _

_He found what he was looking for and as he turned to sit forward, he noticed a car right behind them. He paused for a few seconds, just watching it and saw that they increased their speed to get even closer. _

"_Hey, Mare…You know I'm always telling you not to speed?" _

"_Oh don't start that again…I'm not even going the limit."_

"_No, Mare…you need to do it." _

"_Do what?" _

"_Drive like you've stolen it." He told her, returning to his seat and adjusted the mirror so he could watch the car behind them. _

"_What?" _

"_Floor it." He ordered when he the passenger leaned out of their window. _

_A second later there was a shot fired and the back window shattered. _

"_Fuck!" Mary cursed, as the car swerved and she tried to right it. _

"_Just keep driving." Marshall told her, rolling down his own window. _

"_Like you need to tell me that!" She snapped, pushed the car as fast as it would and thanked god that there was almost no other traffic on the road. "What the hell are you doing?!"_

_Marshall was leaning out of his window with his own gun, taking aim. He fired one shoot and then another._

_Mary took her eyes off the road for a second to look in the mirror to watch the car behind spinning out of control. Unlike them, Marshall had aimed at their tires, hitting the mark twice and effectively stopping them. She was about to praise him for his quick thinking when another shot caused her jump and she almost crashed the car when she heard Marshall cry out. _

"_Marshall?!" _

"_I'm fine…" He dropped back into his seat. "Keep going."_

_She glanced across to see him clutching his bicep and blood running down his arm. _

"_You're bleeding!" _

"_It'll be worse if you slow down and they catch up with us." He told her. "Just keep going." _

"_Where the hell did they come from?" She asked. "How did they know we were here?" _

"_You're photo is on the news." He answered. "That's why we were being watched at the diner…and I'm guessing why we couldn't rent a room at the first motel…One of them must have tipped of the FBI and your friends."_

"_Some friends…" She muttered. _

"_Just get us out of here…as far away as possible." _

"_You need a hospital."_

"_It's nothing….a flesh wound…I've had worse." _

"_Got another water bottle trick we can use?" _

"_I'll be fine." He assured her. "Just drive."_

Mary traced the scar on his right arm…It was jagged and large from where he didn't get proper medical treatment. Looking at it was always a reminder of that night, something that she wished she could forget.

"You know what's different about now?" Marshall said, knowing what she was thinking about and wanted to make her feel better.

"What?"

"We're married." He smiled, pulling her closer and kissing her softly. "We can do this."

She returned the smile and let him kiss her again. She sank into his embrace, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her. She had discovered a while ago that there was no other place she felt safer then when he was holding her.

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think. How did Mary's photo get on the news…and is Marshall's friends good guys or bad? Let me know what you think!**


	8. Old Mary and New Mary

**Thank you all some much for the awesome reviews! **

**Jekkah, I agree…Marshall is an awesome marshal and love it when he's does the whole BadAss Lawman routine. **

**I hope you all like this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Line**

**Old Mary and New Mary:**

"So, what's the plan once we reach South Carolina?" Mary asked Marshall, glancing into the backseat and saw Hannah was fast asleep.

They had spent the morning and most of the afternoon in Harrisburg before hitting the road. After driving for a few hours they stopped for dinner and Marshall now planned on driving for most of the night. Mary wasn't wild about the idea but she also knew her husband was trying to find them somewhere safe to settle down as soon as possible. She was hoping once they did he would start relaxing again.

"I was thinking we head for the Myrtle beach…Hannah will love the beach and we'll blend in with the tourists."

Mary nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a good plan…and we did say we wanted a vacation."

"Yeah, I was thinking after the baby was born though." He took his eyes on the road for a second so he could place his hand on her pregnant stomach, rubbing small circles when he felt movement; thankful that the road was straight and clear of traffic.

"We'll go on another once he gets here." She covered his hand with hers.

"You know, you keep saying 'he'…" Marshall commented. "Do you know something I don't? Did you slip Dr. Matthers a twenty when I was out of the room?"

"Mother's intuition." She shrugged and he let out a small laugh. "What?"

"I thought you didn't believe in that 'mumbo-jumbo'…Your words not mine."

"That was old Mary."

"Old Mary?" He questioned with a frown.

"Yeah, Mary Shannon, an emotional challenged US Marshal with a deadbeat father, an alcoholic mother and trouble magnet sister."

"And what about new Mary?"

"Mary Hunter…Wife and mother…Nothing else matters."

Marshal stole another quick glance at her and saw there was small smile on her face. She was right; there was a difference between her now and how she used to be back in New Mexico. She still had her kickass, take no nonsense altitude and had low intolerance for stupid people, as she called them but she had soften as well. More willing to open up and share affection but Marshall put that down to motherhood, not a name change.

"And new Mary has mother's intuition." She added.

"Care to put a wager on it?" Marshall asked.

"You think it's another girl?"

"Father's intuition."

"Now, that's mumbo-jumbo." She claimed. "This kid is inside of me…We've bonded…Connected."

"The winner gets to sing the song and the loser buys the pie."

Mary rolled her eyes. "You think us getting pie is a bad thing?"

"Okay…Winner gets naming rights." He upped the ante.

"What?"

He grinned. "Too scared?"

"No but I would have thought you would have liked a say in our _son's _name." Mary replied. "But hey, at least I won't have a veto all your dumb choices."

"It's a deal then?"

"Why not? Just don't go changing your mind when he gets here."

"Same goes for you." He told her. "I'll have the perfect name picked out for her."

"Whatever, doofus…You're going to lose." She said but couldn't fight off a yawn.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" He suggested. "It's been a long day."

"For both of us…I'll stay awake and talk to you."

"I'll be fine." He assured her. "Just close your eyes for a little…I know, you're about ten minutes from falling asleep anyway."

"Promise to wake me if you get tired?"

He removed his hand from her stomach, bringing hers with it to kiss her fingers. "Sleep."

"Okay…" She agreed with a quiet sigh. "Only for a little while."

It only took a few minutes for Mary to fall asleep but Marshall was sure that it wouldn't take much for her to be woken. He knew she was worried that he was pushing himself too hard but he didn't want to take any risks by being on the road for longer than necessary. Once they reach South Carolina, they could stay put for a week or so and rest up before deciding where to go next.

He carefully placed Mary's hand back in her lap and shook his arm slightly, trying to ease the ache. He wanted to hide his discomfort from his wife because he knew how she was still haunted by what happened that night in Wisconsin and he didn't want to cause her any more concern.

He glanced across at her again, thinking back, knowing that night had been a turning point in their journey and how he saw a side of her that he would have never thought he would see...

"_Are we still being followed?" Mary questioned, still not easing up on the gas._

"_No, we're good…" Marshall said with his teeth gritted, trying to hide his obvious pain while gripping his arm as tightly as possible. "But keep going just in case." _

"_Jesus, Marshall...This is crazy." _

"_It's going to be okay." He stated. "Just keep driving." _

"_You shouldn't be here…It's only been a day and you've already been shot." _

"_It's nothing." He tried to assure her. _

"_You need medical treatment." _

"_I need you to get us the hell out of Wisconsin."_

"_And let you bleed out?" She shot him a lot. "Fat chance."_

"_Look, drive for an hour or so then we'll find somewhere to stop."_

"_What about your arm?" _

"_I'll keep pressure on it and hopefully the bleeding while stop." _

"_And if it doesn't?" _

"_It's just a flesh wound…It will."_

_Mary reached back and shoved her hand into her open bag, pulling out the first thing she grabbed. "Here, use this." _

_Marshall took the tank top, balling it up and pressing it hard against his wound. He led his head back against the headrest and sighed. His mind began to race with everything they needed to do now that they really were on the run. With Mary's picture being flashed around on the news, it would be difficult for her to get things done, which meant anything they needed Marshall would have to get so Mary could lay low. Nathan had assured him that he was already working on getting Mary's photo off the news and would put a stop to any attempts of his being posted. He had never been more grateful for having a friend with such great connection, even if he didn't know what exactly Nathan did or how he did it. _

_They travelled for exactly an hour in silence before Mary pulled over and got out the car to walk around to his door. He turned to face her, casting a look around the area they had stopped. It was a parking lot that was deserted and he couldn't spot any CTTV cameras around. _

"_Let me look." Mary pulled away the tank top and her eyes widen. "Jesus, Marshall! That's not a flesh wound!" _

"_Mare..."_

_She touched it gently. "The bullet is still in there!" _

"_I didn't want to worry you…"_

"_Worry me?!" She repeated, staring at him. "Are you insane?! You got a bullet lodge in your arm and you make me drive an hour before getting it looked at."_

"_It'll be nothing." He told her. "We can treat it once we've found somewhere to hide out."_

"_I'm taking you to the hospital."_

"_No you're not."_

"_You've been shot, moron!" She snapped. "I'm taking you to the hospital!"_

"_It's too risky…"_

"_Fine, I'll drop you off and you can call Stan to come get you."_

"_Not going to happen."_

"_I'm not arguing about this." She stood up to get back in the car._

_She was surprised when Marshall got out and grabbed her arm. "Mary, you need to listen…"_

"_No, you need to listen…You need medical treatment."_

"_As soon as I step foot into a hospital and they see I've been shot, they'll call the cops." _

"_So?" _

"_Have you lost your mind?" He questioned. "Can you just think about this for a minute and think just how bad that would be?!"_

"_Go to the hospital, Marshall and then go home." She told him firmly, pulling her arm away from him but he refused to let go._

"_You're a goddamn US Marshal who works in Witness Protect!" It was his turn to snap. "There are people trying to hunt you down…People in the FBI and who knows who else is involved…If I go back to New Mexico, do you really think they'll just let me get on with my life?" _

_Mary looked down at the floor, tears burning in her eyes. She couldn't believe what a mess she had gotten into. _

"_By now they know I'm with you…If they find me, they kill me…" He stated. "Whether you like it or not, we're in this together."_

_She lifted her head when he let go and slumped back against the car, exhausted. _

"_You're right…I need medical treatment but we need to get somewhere safe first and I also need you to get it together." His voice lowering again. "I need you to start thinking like the Mary I know otherwise we're both dead."_

_She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away the tears, refusing to let them fall. "Get back in the car." _

_He did as he was told, hoping she had been listening and took what he said seriously. He knew she was scared and that she would do anything for him not to be caught up in this but now they didn't have a choice. They had to stick together…._

Marshall was startled out of his memory when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked across at Mary and saw she was watching him with half open eyes, holding out a bottle of water and some painkillers.

"Don't be a hero…" She told him. "I know when you're in pain."

"It's fine…"

"Marshall…" She cut him off. "Take the painkillers."

He sighed and threw the tablets into his mouth before taking the water. As he thought back to their conversation in that parking lot again, he couldn't help but notice that this time, their roles seemed to have been reversed.

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	9. Sandcastles and Nightmares

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**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth **

**Sandcastles and Nightmares**

Mary woke and found she was alone. For a brief second, she was scared. _Marshall was gone…Someone had taken him…He was hurt…She would never see him again_. Then she forced herself to relax, remembering that four years had passed and that the only reason they had ran was because of their families tracking them down.

They had been in South Carolina for three days and they fitted in with the rest of the families vacationing at Myrtle Beach. They spent most of their time on the sand and Hannah was having the time of her life. Mary did wonder how long it would last. She loved it now because it was new but surely even a two year old would get sick of building sandcastle every day. They would eventually have to make plans to move on and settle down somewhere more permanent. It had been hard enough last time when it was just the two of them. With a toddler and a newborn on its way, would surely make matters more difficult.

She sighed and pushed herself to a sitting position, leaning against the headboard. When she felt a breeze and looked towards the balcony, seeing Marshall stood leaning against the rail with his back to her. A quick look at the clock, told her it was only 4am and she wondered if her husband had been to sleep at all yet. She debated whether or not she should join him; try and get him to realize that pushing himself like this would only make things worse.

She forced herself to her feet and slowly made her way towards him. She placed a hand on his lower back when she reached him and he automatically took a small step back to wrap his own arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Hannah had a bad dream…" He rubbed his eyes. "I had to read her a couple more stories before she fell back to sleep."

"She had a nightmare?" She questioned. "I didn't hear her."

"You were dead to the world." He smirked. "And it was just a bad dream, not a nightmare."

"Is there a difference?"

He shrugged. "Some say that a nightmare is filled with pure terror, while a bad dream is just unpleasant."

"Well, it was bad enough to wake both her and you."

"I was just dropping off to sleep; I heard her and was wide awake." He explained with a sigh. "She's fine, Mare…She's in a new place and she's had a busy couple of days…It's bound to have an effect."

Mary forced herself to relax and leaned into him more. Marshall stepped back again and pulled her so she stood in front of him.

"Do you think she's going to remember this?"

"A week playing on the beach?" He questioned. "Possibly…"

"No, I mean the running…the moving."

"She doesn't know we're running."

"What happens when she's older and we have to move again?"

"Who says that will happen?"

"Who says it won't?"

He turned her around to face him and pushed some hair behind her ear. "We'll deal with it."

"She deserves a proper life…One that won't put her in danger or where she has to leave everything she knows behind and start again." She stated, one hand resting on her stomach. "They both do."

Marshall considered what she said for a few moments, trying to think of the right words to reply. He knew she had always been concerned about this…It was one of a many reasons she had be terrified when they discovered she pregnant with Hannah and why it had taken him so long to convince her that their child would be worth the risk.

"You know that you and our kids are the most important things in this world to me…You know I would do anything for any of you…" He said softly. "I wish I could promise that where ever we go next will be the place we spend the rest of our lives…that our children will grow up without fear of this happening again but I'd be a fool to lie to you…I can promise you that I will give everything I have to protect you and them…No matter what."

She sighed. "I know you will…I'm sorry, I don't mean to make things worse…"

"I know, you're just worried…I am too." He assured her. "But we're in this together."

"Like from the beginning?" She looked up at him, a small smile on his face.

"Like from the beginning." He confirmed.

"At least you didn't have to get shot this time for me to realize it."

"Be honest, even after I was shot you were still ready to ditch me in the middle of nowhere."

She rolled her eyes. "You keep bringing this up but I didn't ditch you."

"Didn't stop you from trying." He replied, smirking to let her know he was only teasing…

_Mary was pissed…Marshall knew she was. She was silent and kept shooting glares at him. He knew that she hated the fact she wasn't in control, that the only plan they had was his and they now had no choice but to follow it. She angry that he had kept his idea from her until it was too late for them to do anything else but he didn't regret it. He had no choice but to sneak along with her. He had no intention of leaving her once they reached Wisconsin and although he had not factored in getting shot, it had helped convince Mary they had to stick together now. _

"_Marshall!" _

_Her raised voice startled him and he looked to her quickly. "What? What happened?" _

_She let a shaky breath. "You closed your eyes…I thought…."_

"_It's okay, I'm okay." He tried to assure her. "But we should probably ditch the car…If whoever that was has connections with the FBI then every cop in this state is probably looking out for us." _

"_And what are we meant to do then?" She asked. "You can barely stay awake and it's the middle of the night…unless you want to steal another car, we're on foot."_

"_Don't think stealing a car will help us, right now…" Marshall commented and then gestured to a road sign for Rockford airport. "Head for the airport."_

_They had crossed over into Illinois from Wisconsin not long ago and not matter how hard Marshall tried to concentrate, he could not work where to go next. He was also regretting not treating his arm when they had chance to but he had wanted to get as far away as possible. Now though, the burning pain in his bicep had increased dramatically and he was starting to feel light headed from blood lose, as well as the come down from the adrenaline rush and lack of sleep. He also knew he was likely to get an infection and end up running a fever; which he was not looking forward to._

"_You want to get on a plane?" She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. _

"_No but we can leave the car there…if someone is looking for it, it'll take them a while to find it there and it may lead them in a different direction to us if they think we did catch a flight." _

_Mary nodded in understanding and stayed quiet for a few minutes before looking at him in concern again. "How are you doing?" _

"_I'm fine." _

"_Liar."_

"_Once we get rid of the car, we'll jump into a cab then head for a cheap motel…" Marshall suggested. "Then once we've got a room, you'll have to take a look at my arm…I think the bleeding has stopped but it'll need a dressing." _

"_You think it's safe to get a room?" She asked. "I thought my photo was on the news." _

"_Nathan was working on getting it off and if you wear a baseball cap with your hair up, hopefully they won't pay attention." He answered. "Otherwise, we're bunking down outside somewhere but judging by those clouds, it looks like a storm is heading our way…"_

"_Just our luck." She muttered before glancing at him once more. "You could always rent a room…I'll find somewhere and meet you in the morning…"_

"_No."_

"_Marshall…"_

"_We stick together."_

"_But…"_

"_I need you." He said unashamed._

"_You need to be safe." _

"_We'll be fine if we stick together." He insisted. _

"_I don't want you to get hurt more."_

"_I know but I need you to help me…to take care of me." His voice softened slightly. "The wound needs to be cleaned out and dressed… I need rest and fluids…I don't think I can take care of it all by myself."_

"_God, Marshall…is this just wrong." _

"_I know you want me to go to the hospital but please tell me you understand why I can't?" He looked at her. "And don't forget that you took a beating yesterday…Sleeping rough is not a good idea." _

"_I doubt there be much sleeping." _

"_Mary…" _

"_Fine, okay we'll get a room." She grumbled. _

"_We don't have a lot of choice, Mare…" Marshall sighed. "I know it's risky but we have nowhere else to go…Unless, we find somewhere to park up out of sight…"_

"_No, you're right." She agreed, softening a little. "We need a room…we need to take care of that arm before you lose it." _

"_I have a small first aid kit…"_

"_Of course you do…" She muttered._

"_But we'll probably need more supplies…" He ignored her. "There is bound to be a 24 hour Wal-Mart around here…We could get a cab to there before the motel, then if some does trace us, it's not going to lead directly to where we're staying."_

"_Jesus." Mary breathed out; she hadn't even thought about all that but it was true to their partnership – he was the planner…her plans were the 'shot first, ask later' kind. "How are you coming up with all this with a bullet in your arm?" _

"_It's what I do." He shrugged a little, then winced in pain and Mary rolled her eyes. _

"_You should remember not to move that arm."_

"_Yeah, thanks…" He replied sarcastically but he was actually glad to hear her teasing and mocking him._

_They drove the rest of the way to the airport in silence but Marshall noticed her quickly looks in his direction, so he tried to his best to look alert. Mary chose a car parking spot that would most hide the car and as she grabbed her bag and the backpack that contained the money, phones and IDs, she watched Marshall getting his own bag out of the trunk. She rolled her eyes, wishing she had thought to check it before leaving her house…She would have been able to stop him from coming with her…then he wouldn't have been shot…but it probably meant she would have stopped at the first motel she came across and whoever was after her possibly would have caught up with her, as she slept unaware…She probably would be dead by now. _

_She bit her lip, looking at her partner again; watching him searching his bag one handed and wondered if her life was worth him risking his. _

"_Mare?" He looked up and saw her staring at him. "You okay?"_

"_Yeah…just…" She shrugged. "We should get going."_

"_Right." He nodded and held out a baseball cap. "Here." _

"_Great." She piled her hair up and slipped the cap on so there was sign of blonde. "Got a glasses and mustache disguise in there too?" _

"_Y'know, that's not a bad idea." He commented, reached for the small bag that contained the last of their food stock but she grabbed it before him. _

"_I got it." _

_He was about to protest but decided not to; he didn't think he's arm was up for carrying it anyway. He was surprised when she leaned down and picked up his long black trench coat that was placed on top of his duffle bag, holding it out to him. _

"_You should stay warm." She advised. "And you got blood and a bullet hole in your sleeve…It'll hide it." _

_He took it and tried to put it on but Mary surprised again by helping him, being gentle and slow. _

"_Thanks." He said and tried to hide the pain he was in as she started to do the coat up for him. _

_She didn't reply but did manage to give him a small smile before picking up the bags again as he slipped the strap of his bag on his good shoulder. She put an arm around him as they walked across the car park, hoping they looked like just another couple on their travels but it also meant Marshall could lean on her a little so she could help support his weight. He glanced down at her but accept her help without a word, thankful that she finally seemed to accept he wasn't going anywhere without her. _

"I could call Nathan…" Marshall broke the silence, bringing her back to reality in South Carolina. "Ask him if he's heard anything about us or the case."

"That might be a good idea." She nodded a little.

"If there hasn't been…there's always a chance we could go back to Maine…"

"I guess." She sighed. "But I don't know, Marshall…I loved our life there but after this, I don't think I could feel safe there anymore."

He kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's just go to bed…Hannah will be awake in a few hours and then we can decide what to do."

"Okay." She allowed him to pull her towards the bed.

"And I'll still call Nathan…Be good to catch up with him anyway."

"If you say so." She mumbled as they crawled under the covers.

"You still don't trust him?"

"I don't know anything about the guy…" She replied. "And I've known him for four years…"

"But you've only met him once." Marshall pointed out.

"Yeah and that was a fun day." She rolled her eyes.

Marshall laughed lightly. "Come on, he's a good guy…and he's saved our asses enough times."

"I guess…"

"How about we make a deal…Let's forget about Nathan and our families and Maine and being on the run?" He suggested. "Let's just pretend we're just like every other family here, that we're just here enjoying a vacation with our little girl."

She smiled. "Okay, that does sound nice."

He kissed her gently, pulling her closer. "It'll work out, Mare…I promise."

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think. Finally accepting there is no getting rid of Marshall and more come with their families, Stan and Bobby D. **


	10. Mother, Fathers and Detectives

**Hey, thank you to everyone who reviewed! They mean the world. Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**Mothers, Fathers and Detectives:**

Bobby looked at each person in front of him, not knowing what to say. He had been called over to the Shannons' house by Jinx Shannon claiming they had some important information for him. When he arrived, he discovered not only her but her youngest daughter, her boyfriend and Mary's ex-fiancée ….or whoever he was now but also three people he had never met before. Since Mary and Marshall's disappearance four years, Bobby had had a few dealings with the Shannon women. Neither of them giving up the idea of finding Mary and always called him up to help with whatever leads they thought they found. Naturally, he was curious and concerned about what happened to his friends but gradually, he come to accept that they were never going to find them. He knew what they had done for a living and he knew they were extremely good at their jobs. He had given up hope and just simply wished that they were happy and safe, wherever they were.

This time, things seemed to be different….They were actually claiming they had not only found Mary and Marshall but spoke to them too. After listening to the story about their visit to Maine, Bobby then found out the three new people were Marshall's Mom and two brothers Andy and Rob. Colleen Mann seemed just as determined for him to crack this case as Brandi and Jinx were but he noticed her sons, kept shooting each other unsure looks. He would take a guess and say they were both involved in law enforcement and knew how this sort of thing worked.

"Miss Shannon, Mrs. Mann…" Bobby placed his coffee cup of the table. "I understand how you must feel…"

"Our children and Grandchild are out there…." Colleen cut in. "In some sort of danger…"

"I get that." Bobby sighed. "But unless they come to me or call me there is not a lot I can do…"

"You're meant to be a detective." Brandi stated. "Can't you go and detect or something…"

Bobby couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "I'm sorry but it doesn't work like that, I wish it did…"

"Why not?" Jinx suddenly got to her feet. "Why can't you help us?"

"Because there isn't a case here." Bobby sighed.

"We reported them missing four years ago to you and you haven't done a thing about it." Raph joined in; he couldn't help but think that Mary and he would be happily married by now if none of this had happened.

"We investigated it and as you were told at the time, all evidenced pointed to them leaving on their own accord." Bobby replied.

"Because they were in danger!" Jinx exclaimed.

"Look, is there nothing you can tell us?" Rob stepped in. "I mean, from the sounds of things they did leave because of some kind of trouble…Is there no way of finding out?"

"You're welcome to give it a shot." Bobby held up his hands. "But I learnt a long time ago, that if those two didn't want people to know something, then it stays that way."

"What does that mean?" Colleen questioned.

"It means there is more to this then we know and we're not going to get anywhere." Andy sighed.

"I'm just as much in the dark as you…" Bobby assured them. "I wish I could help but maybe they're better of where they are…"

He hadn't been too surprised when Chief McQueen was not forthcoming with information on his two inspectors' disappearance but if he was honest, he had expected them both to return within a few weeks. He thought back to the day, Mary's family reported her missing; he knew that Stan knew more than he was letting on….

"_Chief, hold on a minute…" Bobby followed him out of Mary's house. _

"_I'm sorry, Detective but I have a lot of work to do…" Stan kept walking to his car._

"_Hey." Bobby jogged to get in front of Stan and blocked his path. "You can't just leave it at that."_

"_What would you like me to say?" He asked. "I've told you what I know…"_

"_No, you haven't…" He shook his head. "You're forgetting who you're talking…I know what you guys do."_

"_Bobby…"_

"_And you look like a man who lost his best friend."_

"_No, just my family…" Stan sighed and ran a hand over his head. "I really don't know where they are."_

"_But you know why they left…" Bobby guessed. _

"_Things went wrong…" Stan admitted. "We were meant to handle this together, the three of us but they were gone when I got back."_

"_So, they're in danger?" Bobby asked. "Then what are we doing here? We should be out there helping them…"_

"_Bobby…"_

"_You must know somewhere where they might head."_

"_They won't go anywhere which would lead any of us to them…" Stan shook his head. "They're too smart for that."_

"_Okay, we can track…"_

"_Bobby, we're not going to do anything!" Stan snapped. "We can't."_

"_But…"_

"_You don't think I hate this? That the two people I consider my family are out there somewhere?" Stan continued. "You don't think I hate, that they might need my help right now but I can't do a damn thing about it…You don't think I hate that if I tried I could lead whoever is after right to them?" _

_Bobby stared at him for a few seconds, as he started to understand just how serious this is._

"_You'll call me if there is anything I can do?" He finally said, stepped out of Stan's path. _

_Stan nodded. "Thank you, Detective." _

Bobby was brought back to the present by a loud knock of the door, causing everyone in the room to jump.

"That'll be Dad…" Andy said, shooting a guilty at his mother. "We called and told him where we were."

Colleen rolled her eyes. "You better let him in then."

She wasn't pleased that her husband had decided to just let their son walk out of their lives again without a fight, especially after they learnt he was in danger.

"Dad, this is Detective Dorshowitz…" Andy introduced as he led his father into the room. "He's from the Albuquerque office and worked with both Marshall and Mary."

"Good to meet you, Sir." Bobby stood up and shook the older man's hand.

"You too, Detective…" Seth eyed him warily.

"Please, call me Bobby…" He replied. "And let me just say, your son is a good man and it was an honor to work with him."

Bobby noticed Raphael rolling his eyes at his comment and resisted the urge to glare at him. He didn't understand why he was still there after four years…Mary had obviously broken things off with him by leaving the engagement ring behind and from what they had said, she had moved on with Marshall…They were married and had kids…Raphael had no chance.

"I'm glad to hear that, son…" Seth gained his attention. "But can I ask just what is going on here?"

"We called him." Colleen said with her arms folded across her chest. "He's going to help us find our children."

"Hey, now I didn't say that…" Bobby held up his hands but the neither of them were paying him any attention.

"We've been through this…." Seth said frustrated. "Marshall made a choice…"

"No, he didn't!" She exclaimed. "He was forced to go to stay safe..."

"Exactly." Seth cut her off. "That's what he's doing…"

"We can help him." She insisted. "What's the point of being from a family full of marshals if none of you will help him?!"

"Mom, we don't know what we're getting into." Rob said diplomatically. "I'm sure if Marshall was in the position where he could stay and ask for help, then he would have…"

"We have to find him."

"Sweetheart…" Seth stepped towards her but she backed away.

"No, don't…" She said warningly. "If you had your way, I would know nothing about this…"

Seth sighed, the old feeling of guilt of keeping Marshall's disappearance a secret from his wife and other children…..

_Seth had been talking to Rob when his wife re-entered the room, the phone clutched to her chest. He had done a double take after noticing the look on her face and his blood ran cold. _

"_Mom?" Andy had noticed her too and stood up to walk towards her. "Mom, what is it?" _

"_Michael, take your brothers and cousins out to the yard…" Rob said to his oldest son and sent him a look, telling him not to argue when he opened his mouth to protest. _

"_Sweetheart…" Seth guided over to the couch and sat her down before taking the seat next to her. "What's happened?"_

"_Marshall…." She whispered, a few tears slipping from his eyes. _

"_What about him?" Rob crouched down in front of them. "Is he okay?"_

"_He's…gone…"_

"_What? What do you mean gone?" Andy demanded. _

"_He's missing…they don't know where he is." She informed them. "Has been for two weeks…"_

"_I don't understand…why are we hearing about this now?" Rob asked. "What happened?" _

_Colleen slowly turned to face her husband. "They said they called you…told you he had gone."_

_Seth sighed. "Who did you speak to?" _

"_Does it matter?" She cried. "My son is missing and you kept it from me!"_

"_Was it someone official? The Marshal Service?" Seth continued to question. _

"_Dad, what the hell is going on?" Rob cut in. "Where's Marshall?" _

"_Colleen, who did you speak to?" Seth asked again. _

"_Her mother….Mary's…his partner." She told him. "She said they left together two weeks ago and no one will tell them what's happened to them…that they found bloodied clothes that belonged to Mary."_

"_Okay, we shouldn't get too worried…" _

"_Too worried?" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "My boy is out there…." _

"_Sweetheart, you need to remember that Marshall is a US Marshal." Seth stated calmly. "Sometimes his job takes him places…"_

"_So, you think he's on an operation?" Rob asked, sighing with relief. _

_His son had never told him what branch he was with in the marshal service and Seth had never asked because he didn't want to put Marshall in a position where he would have to lie to him. He could take a guess what Marshall did because he had worked with Stan McQueen on a few occasions in the past. He was unsure how he felt about his son working in Wit-Sec but the times he had spoken with Stan, he assured him Marshall had a talent for it and was happy there. _

"_He wouldn't disappear on us…" Seth claimed. "This is Marshall…He would talk to us." _

_He had gotten a phone from Brandi Shannon two week previous and when she had said that Albuquerque PD were not taking the case further and that Stan had claimed they left willing, Seth assumed they were working a case. If there was a problem, Stan would have called him personally. _

"_What if he is hurt or in danger?" Colleen whispered, fearfully. _

"_He would have come to us…" Seth insisted. "I know he would have." _

_Three more weeks had passed without any word, his wife was frantic with worry and his sons were using their sources to try and track their brother down when they got a phone call from an anonymous caller, advising them to leave it alone. And Seth was starting to get concerned that there was more to this then a simple case. He called Stan, hoping the other man could just confirm that everything was okay, that Marshall would be back soon but he didn't. He told Seth what he told Jinx and Brandi…Mary and Marshall had ran away to be together, quitting their jobs. Despite an hour of shouting, cursing and threatening Stan would not tell him anymore. _

Seth could not feel any guiltier for not taking Marshall's disappearance more seriously at the time and believed he may have been able to help his son if he had known what he did now, then but he had also seen the new life he had built. It killed him to think it and he knew it would break his wife's heart but Marshall was happy. He had a wife and a little girl who he adored….He could tell from just the short time they spent with him. He didn't want to ruin that for him, not matter how hard it would be and he would do anything and give everything to protect his son and grandchildren….Even if it meant never seeing them again.

"Dad, is there anything else you tell us?" Rob broke his train of thought. "Anything at all?"

"I spoke to Stan McQueen…He's on his way over." Seth told them. "But don't get your hopes up."

**TBC**

**So, no Marshall and Mary in this chapter…Hope it didn't disappoint. Please review and let me know what you think. What will Stan have to say to them? Please review!**


	11. Vacations and Motels

**Hey, thank you to everyone that reviewed! Sorry it's taken so long to update. Please let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy!**

**To the End of the Earth**

**Vacations and Motels:**

Mary stood with her pants rolled up to her knees and water lapping at her ankles, watching Marshall and Hannah playing further out in the ocean. From where she was stood she would hear her daughter's giggles and squeals every time a wave hit them but despite how much she seemed to be enjoying it, Mary could see the tight grip she had around Marshall's neck. She shielded her eyes from the sun with one hand while rubbing her sore back with the other. She loved watching them together, remembering when she was a little girl how her own father was her world. The difference was, Hannah loved Marshall because he played with on the beach, told the best bedtime stories and was there for every day, no matter what. All Mary could remember of the time she spent with her Dad was picking up tickets at the race track and sat outside banks. She thought about all the conversations they had about partners and how you should never trust them. She went through most of her life believing that…Thinking that only person she could trust was herself. Until she met Marshall and one day she found that she had begun to trust him more then she had never trusted anyone, even herself. After everything they had been through together, she was eternally gratefully that he had been her partner or her life could have turned out completely different.

She smiled and waved when she saw them making their back towards her. Once they reached the swallow water, Marshall tried to set Hannah down so she could walk but she refused to let go of him and led her head on his shoulder.

"Think it's time we head back to the house…Someone's getting tired." Marshall said when they reached her.

"Ice cream!" Hannah suddenly sat up and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, Dad, you did promise us ice creams." Mary added.

"Fine…We can stay for ice creams." He rolled his eyes but smiled when they both cheered.

"I'll get them." Mary offered when they reached the spot where they had set their belongings. "You two dry off."

When she returned a few minutes later with two ice creams cones, knowing Marshall would share with Hannah she found her daughter wrapped in a huge towel, sat on Marshall's lap.

"Chocolate or strawberry?" Mary offered, holding one of each out to them.

"Strawberry." Hannah exclaimed, reaching out for it.

Marshall grabbed hold of it before she had change to, taking a bite off the top so it was easier for Hannah to hold. She gripped onto it tightly with both hands and Marshall reached his free hand to up to support Mary as she lowered herself down to the sand.

She sat down with a groan and leaned against his shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Sore back?" He guessed.

She shrugged. "No more than normal."

"Does that mean I'm on massage duty tonight?"

"Unless you want me tossing and turning all night then yes."

"It's a date." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

They sat in silence, just enjoying the ice cream and the warm sun. When Marshall looked down at Hannah he couldn't help but laugh when he saw her face was covered in ice cream.

"Looks like we've got an ice cream monster here." He teased, reaching for a spare towel to clean her up.

"We should probably head back." She started to gather up their belongings.

"Been a good day though." Marshall added. "I'm going to miss it here."

The next day, they were leaving South Carolina and traveling down to Florida, taking a couple of days and stopping in Georgia a few times on the way. They planned to stay in Tampa and if nothing came up and they liked it, that was where they planned to stay.

"Well, Tampa has beaches…" Mary replied, grabbing one of the smaller bags and reaching down to take Hannah's hand.

"I know but this is different." He took Hannah's other hand as they walked back to the small two bedroom house they had been renting. "Feels like it's been one big vacation."

"You're such a sap." She rolled her eyes but actually was she relieved that he had managed to relax enough to enjoying himself.

_**XxXxX**_

When Mary entered their bedroom after putting Hannah to bed that night, she found Marshall talking on a cell phone that she guessed was a disposable. He glanced up at her when she lowered herself to the bed and he laid a hand on top of hers as he wrapped up the conversation.

"Nathan?" She questioned once he had hung up.

"Yeah." He nodded, moving to lean against the headboard and pulled her to sit in front of him before gently starting to massage her back. "He hasn't heard anything, except the flights our families took to Maine was checked."

Mary tensed. "By who?"

He leaned forward, placing a light kiss on the curve of her neck and she could feel a smile on his lips. "He wasn't sure but he traced the call back to the Sunshine building in New Mexico, Albuquerque."

"Stan?" She questioned.

"Mm-hmm." He replied, giving her another kiss.

She moaned quietly at the feel of his lips and hands, leaning her head back to rest against his chest.

"After all this time, he's still looking out for us." She sighed quietly. "I miss him."

He ran his hands from her back to her stomach, placing his chin on her shoulder. "Me too."

"What else did Nathan say?" She put her hands on top of his.

"Just that he'll keep a watch out and will let us know if anything comes up but he doesn't think we have to worry."

"So, we could go back to Maine?" She turned her head a little to look at him. "Or stay here."

He looked at her in surprise. "We can do...If you want."

"I want you to be happy." She squeezed his hands. "And you like it here."

He laughed a little. "I do but because it feels like the vacations my family took when I was a kid…I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much if we lived here."

"You went on family vacations to the beach?" She turned to face forward again, leaning fully back against him. "We used to go camping…and that was only because Mom had no money for rent or a motel."

"Well, we can start a tradition for _our _family." He tightened his arms around. "At least one vacation a year."

"To the beach?"

He shrugged. "I don't think we'll need to travel to the beach since there are plenty in Florida but sure, if you want."

She fell silent and he was beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep when she spoke again. "Tell me about your family vacations?"

He was surprised but smiled a little as he talked. "Dad worked a lot so it was nice to spend time with him without him having to leave at a drop of a hat…sometimes my grandparents used to come too…"

She listened to him talking and her mind drifted back to the one time she had gone away with James and Jinx before Brandi was born. She couldn't even remember where they had gone, she just remembered being kicked out the motel and stood in the cold during the middle of the night while her parents argued over whose fault it was. She had never cared about taking a vacation after that. Even years later, when she travelled with the Marshal Service and had to stay low budget, grubby motels she always remembered that night stood in the parking lot when she was five and realized it could be worse. For 30 years, it had remained her worst travel experience by far until that night four years ago when they were Illinois and Marshall had a bullet in his arm.

_They got into a cab after walking about 10 minutes from the airport and asked to be taken to the nearest Wal-Mart. Marshall had insisted that Mary stay outside and out of view, just in case someone recognized her but she refused, not allowing him to go inside alone when he could collapse from blood loss at any minute. Eventually, they agreed that they both would go in but not together and that Mary would try and stay out the way as much as possible, which was easy considering it, was past midnight. _

_Marshall went straight to where the first aid kits were kept, grabbing a couple of packs of thick gauze pads and some rolls of gauze along with some latex gloves and a couple pairs of scissors. _

_He had to stop for a minute and leaned against the shelf, taking a deep breath and willed the world to stop spinning. Within seconds, Mary appeared and he tried to tell her not to stop but she ignored his look. _

"_You should find somewhere to sit down." She told him, gripping his good arm to make sure he stayed on his feet. _

"_I just needed a minute." He looked around and was relieved that there was no one else around. "If you want to get this done quicker, go and find some sewing thread, the thicker the better, some regular sewing needles and curved ones too."_

_She looked at him as if he lost his mind. "You want to take up needle work now?!"_

_He would have rolled his eyes if he didn't think it would have made him even dizzier. "It's for my arm…You're going to have to stitch it up."_

"_I am going to have to what?!" _

"_Mary…" He hissed when she raised her voice._

"_You're out of your mind…"_

"_You stuck a tube from the car into my chest not so long ago…this will be nothing."_

_She glared at him. "I'm telling you, the next time you get shot, you better be near a hospital because I'm not going to always be your doctor!" _

"_Just go get the thread …" _

_She sighed. "Anything else?" _

"_I can get the rest from here." He gestured the shelf in front of him. _

_She turned and walked away, muttering to herself and Marshall took another deep breath before continuing to fill his basket. _

_She was at the checkout before him and kept a watchful eye on him when he went to till beside the one she was at. She pretended that she had forgotten something and rushed off to grab it so she wouldn't have to explain why she was hanging around after she had paid and her stuff had been bagged. The checkout girl rolled her eyes but didn't complain since there was no one else waiting to pay. She returned a few minutes later with a couple of magazine, bottled water and some candy. _

"_You a doctor or something?" The guy serving Marshall commented. _

"_Or something." Marshall answered, trying to act normal. "My wife broke a glass and cut her hand."_

"_Why don't you just take her to the hospital?" _

"_She has a fear of them…" He answered smoothly. "Plus, we're here in vacation….We drove down from Ohio and haven't found a hotel yet…She doesn't want to spend all night at the emergency room then waste tomorrow sleeping."_

"_You haven't got a hotel yet?" He raised an eyebrow. "Dude, there some kind of orchestra thing on…Most hotels are booked up."_

_Marshall stopped packing and looked at him. "Do you know anywhere I could go?" _

"_The Rockpool motel always has rooms available." _

"_Great…How far is that from here?" _

"_It's about 10 minutes' walk...take a left out of here and walk straight down, you can't miss it."_

"_Martin, shut up." The cashier serving Mary cut in. "Don't tell him to go to that dump."_

_Marshall looked over at her in surprise and saw Mary trying to act like she wasn't listening. He knew for a fact, any other time she would be getting annoyed that this girl wasn't going any faster. _

"_Sir, there is a reason that place always has rooms…no one goes there." She looked at Marshall. "And if you're here for a romantic time away with your wife, I suggest you go somewhere else."_

"_Well, if there is nowhere else…" _

"_Try the Premier Palace…It's about a 20 minutes cab ride but its far enough out that it's probably not booked up." She advised. _

_He smiled at her. "Great…thank you." _

"_No problem." She said before turning her attention back to Mary. _

_Mary was out of the store before Marshall and as soon as he joined her, she took the two plastic bags he was carrying. _

"_Jesus, what did you buy?" _

"_Enough to last us a couple of days." He leaned against the wall. "I need a few minutes then we can go."_

_She reached into one of the bags and took out a bottle of water. "I'm guessing we're not going to the nice hotel…"_

"_Too risky." He took the bottle after she had opened it and held it out to him. "If anyone tracks us to here, they will tell them they told us to go to the other hotel…by the time they figure out we didn't, we'll be long gone."_

"_This staying one step ahead is getting exhausting and we've only just started."_

"_In a few days, we'll be able to stop in one place for a while." He assured her. "Until we're sure we've lost that tail and Nathan can get us some help, it's not a good idea to stay in one place too long."_

"_I know." She sighed and gave him a chocolate bar. "Eat this."_

_He took one bite before rewrapping it when he made him feel sick. He pushed himself away from the wall. "Come on, let's go."_

_Mary followed without a word and the ten minutes' walk the guy from Wal-Mart told them actually turned out to be 30 minutes since they had to stop and rest a few times. She was growing more and more concerned and prayed whatever Marshall had brought would help him. _

_Thankfully, like they had been told, the Rockpool motel had plenty of room free and Mary had to check them in while Marshall leaned against the counter. The guy at the desk had been rude, unwelcoming and barely took his eyes away from the small portable TV beside him….Mary had never been more grateful to receive such bad customer service._

_She rushed ahead to their room, dumping their bags before going back and helping Marshall who was slowing making his way. She put an arm around him and practically dragged him along with her. _

"_Wait." He stopped her from pushing him down onto the bed. "There's some waterproof pads in the bag…put that on the bed first."_

_She rolled her eyes. "I can help you to the bathroom when you need to go…."_

_He glared at her. "It's to stop getting blood over the bed."_

"_Oh….Good idea." She reached for the bags, dumping the contents on the floor and grabbed the pads. _

"_You're going to need to soak the needles and scissors in some rubbing alcohol." He advised as she helped him lay down. "There should be some plastic bowls there you can use."_

_She stared at him for a few seconds. "I don't think I can do this…"_

"_You have to."_

"_Marshall, I don't know what I'm doing." She told him and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "You need a doctor."_

"_I'll talk you through it…" He promised._

"_That's going to make it worse…You're going to be in pain and you'll have to tell me what to do."_

"_We don't have a choice." He answered. _

_She sighed and a rubbed her eyes then mentally told herself to get a grip. Marshall was the one with a gunshot wound…she should be the calm one, not him._

_She filled up bowl of the bowls with rubbing alcohol, half watching Marshall trying to get his jacket off. After putting the needles and scissors into the bowl like he suggested, she saw he had his jacket off but was struggling to remove his shirt. She undid his buttons before eyeing the wound, knowing the cotton was stuck to his arm with dried blood and removing his shirt would probably hurt him. _

"_Just pull it…" He told her, knowing what she was thinking. _

"_I've got an idea." She grabbed a water bottle and poured over his arm, washing away some of the blood. When the water touched his arm, he winced and gritted his teeth but it worked. She carefully removed the shirt, shoving it in an empty plastic bag, knowing they would have to dump it. _

"_I did a field medic training course a while back…" Mary told him, as she laid out the rest of the stuff Marshall brought, not sure what it was all for. "We were shown how to do stitches…I think I can remember a bit of it."_

"_Good…" He nodded. "I can still talk you through it…might help you remember."_

"_How do I get the bullet out?" She asked, putting on a pair of latex gloves. _

"_Can you see it?" _

_She knelt on the floor next to the bed and gently took hold of his arm. He groaned in pain when she pulled the wound open a little. "Yeah, I think so…"_

"_You can either use the scissors to try and grabbed it or leave it in there."_

"_Oh hell…." She muttered, closing her eyes. _

"_Mary?" He looked at her in concern. "You're not going to be sick, are you?" _

"_I might be…" She took a couple of deep breaths. _

"_Just leave it in…." He told her. "It'll be fine…"_

"_No." She shook her head. "I stuck a tube into your chest and attached you to a water bottle…I can do this."_

_He looked a little unsure. "Okay…"_

"_Okay." She repeated, picking up the scissors and he could see her hand shaking. _

"_Have a gauze pad ready…It'll probably start bleeding heavier." He told her. "Just go slow…"_

"_Right." _

_She was as gentle has possible and just when she was about to give up, she hit something hard. She prayed it was the bullet and not bone as tugged on it, trying to ignore his groans in pain. Eventually, she pulled it out and like he said, blood started to pour his arm. _

"_Oh crap." She grabbed the gauze pad and pressed it against the wound, wincing when he cried out. "I'm sorry."_

"_It's okay…" He said through his gritted teeth. _

"_What's next?" _

"_Nothing…I can't…" He shook his head. _

"_Marshall…" She used her free hand to stroke his cheek gently. "I need to stop the bleeding." _

_He covered his eyes with his uninjured arm. "Fine."_

_She knew that he was trying to hide the tears in his eyes and any other day, any other time she probably would have mocked him about it but this time she pretended not to notice. _

_She carefully removed the gauze and saw it was still bleeding quite a lot. She looked down at what he had brought and realized she had no idea what to do next._

"_What do I do next?" She asked softly. "Do I stitch it up now?" _

"_You've got to clean it…" He told her, letting out a shaky breath. "There should be some liquid betadine there…pour it over the wound…After put betadine on some gauze pads and rub them lightly over the wound to get rid of any dirt in it."_

"_That's going to hurt like hell." She commented. _

"_I know." He replied. "Do it…I'll be okay."_

_She did as she was told, trying to be as quick as possible. She could see his other fist clenched tightly together and his whole was tense. _

"_Done." She finally said, applying pressure to the wound again. _

_He reached down with a shaky and placed his hand on the pad. "Change your gloves before doing to the stitching."_

"_Okay…" She kept watching the whole time as she stripped off the bloody gloves, shaving them in the bag with his shirt and then as she put on a clean pair. _

_He had gone a deathly pale and she could see sweat on his forehead, even though he was shivering. She thought back a few hours when he told her they had no choice but to stay together and that he needed her to be the Mary he knew. He had been right; there was no way around it. If she left him here or took him to the hospital, then whoever was after them would certainly catch up with him but now she worried how he was going to handle being on the run. The bullet hadn't gone too deep but he had lost a lot of blood. Then there was the risk of infection which could make his condition much worse. He was going to need plenty on rest but she just didn't think they had the time. _

"_You need to dip the thread into the rubbing alcohol…" Marshall broke her train of thoughts. "You don't need to soak them for too long."_

"_Right…" She nodded. "Okay, I think I can remember how to do this."_

"_Just take your time…" He told her. "Don't rush."_

"_Maybe I could stitch it into a pattern." She smirked, trying to lighten the mood and was glad when he smiled a little. _

"_As long as you stop the bleeding, I don't care what you do."_

"_Oh, you're going to wish you never told me that, buddy." _

_She fell silent as she worked, trying her hardest to remember her training. She pretended that she was working on a doll and not her best friend but every time he moaned in pain, she winced in sympathy. She did single stitches, using a new piece of thread for each one; she knew that it would take longer but it was the only way she knew and wasn't going to risk making a mistake. _

"_Okay, I think I'm done." She sat back twenty minutes and 16 stitches later._

"_Has the bleeding stopped?" He questioned in a shaky voice. _

"_There's still a little at the end…" _

"_That's okay…" He assured her. "Now just pour some more betadine over it before you bandage it." _

_She also cleaned off the blood from his arm as best she could before applying a fresh dressing over the wound then wrapping a bandage around it. _

"_Thanks…" He murmured when she was done. _

"_Here." She held a bottle of water and some Advil to his lips and he swallowed them with some help from her. "Now go to sleep."_

"_Got to clean up…." He shook his head a little. _

"_It's okay, I got it." She told him, reaching down and brushing his hair back off his forehead, taking note of a slight temperature. "Just rest." _

"_Okay…" He sighed softly as she covered him with a blanket. "Wake me if you need me."_

_She sat with for a few minutes until she was sure that he was asleep before getting started on cleaning up. She noticed that he had brought a sling to limit the movement of his arm and enough painkillers and clean dressings to last them a few days. _

_Once she was done tidying and putting everything away, climbed onto the other side of the bed and drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly. Marshall mumbled and moaned in his sleep but never woke and Mary knew that she wouldn't be sleeping that night. _

_She watched him and wondered why he would agree to this willing. She didn't have a choice. If she hadn't of left, then she would be killed but he chose to follow her. He didn't have to but if she was truly honest with herself, she knew she would do the same if the position were reversed. _

_She rested her chin on top of her knees and started to sob. She had been good at one thing, her job and she had to give that up. Not only had Marshall did too but he was now going to see the real her. The one that couldn't hide behind the badge. The girl that grow up with nothing and had no future…He deserved so much more and she feared that one day he was going to regret putting so much faith in her. _

"_I'm so sorry…" She whispered, reaching one hand out to stroke his cheek. "But I promise to try to make it up to you…I promise, I'll be here for you from now on…no matter what."_

"Mare?"

She snapped back to the present, shaking her head a little to clear it.

"Where did you go?" He questioned. "You okay?"

"Sorry…just thinking."

"What about?"

"Your vacations…" She answered. "They sound nice."

"They were."

"You miss them." She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"The vacations?"

"Your family." She corrected. "Seeing you parents the other day has reminded you how much you miss them."

"Well, of course I do." He said honestly. "I know you miss your mom and sister."

"I never said…"

"Mary…" He cut her protest off. "I know they drove you crazy most of the time but I also know it killed you to leave them and not to be there for them."

"I can't wish that things were different because if this hadn't have happened then we wouldn't have ran and we might not be married or have Hannah."

"There is no point in thinking about 'what ifs'…What happened, happened…The main thing is we're together." He told her. "And who knows, once we get settled in Tampa, maybe we can get a message to them all…Nathan might be able to help us set up something to keep us all safe."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"It's late." He kissed the side of her head. "We should get some sleep."

She nodded and crawled under the covers before laying her head down on his shoulder. "Love you."

He looked down at her and pulled her a little closer. "Love you too."

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall had driven for six hours straight from Myrtle Beach to Monroe in Georgia when Mary had taken over the driving. She was meant to drive for two hours until they reach Warner Robins where they were planning on stopping for the night. He had sat in the back with Hannah, trying to get her to take her nap and Mary was amused to see him falling asleep as well as their daughter. She was actually happy to have some time to herself so she could think.

She looked at the clock when she heard Marshall groan as he woke up and saw that she had been driving for almost three and half hours.

"I wasn't meant to fall asleep…" He mumbled, stretching his arms out in front of him the best he could in the small space.

She smirked. "It was Hannah that was meant to take the nap."

"Hey, she's asleep, isn't she?" He replied, leaning forward a little but then frowned when he saw a road sign. "Wait…Where are we?"

"Don't worry…" She told him. "It's okay…"

"Gadsden?" He questioned. "We're in Alabama? Did you get lost?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course not…"

"Why aren't we going to Florida?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I just thought we could go somewhere else."

"Where?"

She caught his eye in the rearview mirror and saw he looked both concerned and confused.

"Albuquerque…." She answered, quickly and held her breath as she waited for his reaction.

**TBC**

**Dunn, dunn, daaaa….. What do you think Marshall's reaction is going to be?**

**Also, I'm no doctor and never been shot and had to remove the bullet myself, so sorry for any mistakes. **


	12. In It Together

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**To The End of the Earth**

**In It Together**

Mary looked into the rearview mirror when Marshall didn't say anything and could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to work out what was going through her mind.

"You should find somewhere to pull over…" He eventually said.

"I need to do this…" She started to say.

"Hannah will be awake soon so we need to find somewhere for dinner and somewhere to stay the night." He cut in. "Then we can talk."

"Marshall…"

"We need to take care of Hannah first." He glanced at their daughter. "Then we can discuss this properly…That was our agreement, wasn't it? That we talk everything through when it has anything to do with all this?"

"Like you talked to me about tagging along to begin with…" She muttered, not meaning for him to hear but the car wasn't all that big.

"That's not fair." He replied.

She sighed. "I'm sorry….but they're never going to just let us go without an explanation and can you honestly say that you'll feel safe wherever we go? That you won't be waiting for them to turn up again?"

"I understand what you're saying but we're in this together…You can't just decide this on your own."

"You don't have to come…I might be easier if it was just me..." She suggested. "It would just be for a couple of hours then we can get back on the road and on with the rest of our life."

"Do you really think I would allow you and our child to go without me?" He questioned. "Do you really think I would do that?"

"Hannah would stay with you." She answered.

"I wasn't talking about Hannah."

As if on cue, the baby kicked and sighed. "Right…"

"If you really want to go back and see them then that's what we do but we do it together." Marshall stated. "And we do it with a plan…that we come up with together."

"Together?" She repeated. "You're the plan man…I just go along with what you say."

He smiled a little, knowing it was her way of trying to make up. "Get us to a hotel and we'll see what we come up with."

She gave him a small smile in the mirror before turning her attention back to the road. She had no idea why she tried to do this sneakily. She knew Marshall…She knew he would have understood or have a damn good reason not to do it. Maybe there was a part of her that was sick of this life… Yes, over the last three years, since they settled down in Maine she had got used to it and was actually a lot happier; in a lot of ways she had forgotten about her old life but there was still times when she remembered they could be in danger. She hated that they didn't have complete control over what they did, where they went and what they told people. After being a Wit-sec inspector for so long, she understood in her head why they had to do it but sometimes it still got to her.

She heard Hannah starting to wake up but knew Marshall would be able to handle her until they found somewhere to stop. They both were getting good at occupying her in the car but Mary knew her daughter would eventually get tired of all their games and tricks.

She was why Mary wanted to do this…Hannah and their unborn child. She didn't want them growing up without unanswered questions…She didn't want them to ever fear that they might be in danger because of something their mother had seen years before they were even born. It was bad enough that she had dragged Marshall into it all…Although, no matter how much she protested his presence to begin with, she was incredibly glad that he didn't listen to her. There was no way she could have gotten through this was out him and as soon as she admitted that she needed him, the easier it got….

_**Four years earlier**_

_**She was in bathroom, wrapping a towel around her wet hair when she heard him calling her weakly. He had been sleeping all night, now it was coming up to noon and she was relieved he was awake. **_

_**She rushed out of the bathroom and saw him trying to sit up. **_

"_**Hey." **_

_**He sighed in relief when he saw her. He was beginning to think she had done a runner. "You're still here." **_

"_**Of course…" She sat beside him, helping to sit against the headboard. "You think I would leave you when you're like this?" **_

"_**I woke up and you were here…" His eyes closed for a second before reopening. "Sorry, panicked."**_

"_**No harm done." She shrugged. "So, how you feeling?" **_

"_**Like I've been shot." **_

"_**Marshall!" She glared at him. "Not funny." **_

"_**Sorry…I guess I feel okay, considering." He answered. "Tired and sore." **_

_**Mary reached and grabbed some painkillers off the side table along with a bottle of water. "Here take these." **_

_**He didn't argue and once he had swallowed them, he leaned back against the pillows again. She could see he was fighting to keep his eyes open. **_

"_**Listen, I'm going to go out." She told him and stopped when he tried to say something. "We need some food…proper food and a new car." **_

"_**But…"**_

"_**I'll be much quicker without you." She said. "I spotted a car with a for sale sign a few blocks from here…It didn't look like the greatest car but as long as it's cheap and will get us out of this state, it will do right?" **_

"_**I guess…" He sighed. **_

"_**I'll get you some soup…probably the best thing for you right now." She moved around the room, getting ready to leave; removing the towel from her head and tying her hair up before slipping on the baseball cap he had given her. "Then we can rest up for the rest of the day….leave tomorrow morning." **_

_**She turned to look at him but he was staring at her with his mouth open.**_

"_**What happened to your hair?" **_

"_**I dyed it." She shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I brought a kit from Wal-Mart last night. What do you think?" **_

"_**It's different…" He said slowly. She had picked a light brown color and it did suit her but he just wasn't used to seeing her without blonde hair. **_

"_**Different?" She rolled her eyes. "Gee, Marshall…You sure now how to make a girl feel special." **_

"_**I mean…"**_

"_**Forget it…I'll let you off this time, considering you're recovering from being shot." She moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. "I'll be as quick as I can…Try to get some sleep." **_

"_**Okay…" **_

"_**I'm coming back." She said, still seeing some uncertainty in his eyes. "Do you believe me?" **_

_**He gave her a nod. "Just be careful." **_

"_**Always." She smiled and stood up. **_

_**He sighed as she left the room and heard her lock the door behind her. He waited for a few minutes before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He had to grip onto the covers when the room spun and waited for it to stop before reaching into one of the bags. He needed to call Nathan. They needed help and he was the only they could turn to. **_

_**Mary returned just over an hour later and found him sat up against the headboard again. **_

"_**Did you even get any sleep?" **_

"_**I called Nathan…Took longer than I planned and you were quicker than I thought you would be." He answered, rubbing his eyes. "I was just about to take a nap." **_

"_**You should probably try eating something first." Mary suggested, starting to unload the plastic bag. "While the soup is still hot." **_

"_**Yeah, okay…" He agreed although it was the last thing he wanted to do. **_

"_**So, what did your friend say?" **_

"_**He doesn't have much information… He's keeping an eye on the case, making sure not a lot of information on us get out to the media." Marshall told her. "He advised we find somewhere quick to lay low for a few days." **_

_**She rolled her eyes. "Like we didn't think of that already." **_

"_**I told him we were in Illinois but not which part…He said if we head for Detroit when he'll send a package for us to pick up at a FedEx office."**_

"_**What kind of package?" **_

"_**More money, IDs and some antibiotic…I can't really go to a doctor." He answered. "Just some stuff to keep us going for another couple of weeks without drawing too much attention to ourselves." **_

_**Mary knew it was what they needed, especially the antibiotics but she didn't like putting so much faith into someone she didn't know. **_

"_**Can we trust him?" She asked. "I mean, couldn't we just get in touch with Stan." **_

"_**Everyone is going to be watching Stan, the office and anyone connected to it." He said; even know he knew she knew it all already. "It wouldn't even be safe to get in touch with Marcus or my family…" **_

"_**But you really trust this guy?" **_

"_**I would rather not do it with anyone's help but we need someone and Nathan is a good guy…we've been through some tough times together." He explained. "And he knows how to get things done without people knowing it's him…He has a lot of contacts."**_

"_**Okay." She sighed. "If you think he's on the level then I'll go with it." **_

"_**We still need to be carefully, I don't think Nathan would do anything to put us in danger but there is always the chance someone could get wind of what he's up to." Marshall stated. "Once we're in Detroit, one of us goes in to get the package, the other stays outside and keeps an eye out." **_

"_**And if someone turns up?" **_

"_**We shot then run like hell…" **_

_**She smiled a little. "My kind of shooting." **_

"_**It'll be okay, Mare." He added softly. **_

"_**I know." She handed him a carton of soup. "Here, it's getting cold." **_

"_**Thanks." **_

_**He struggled for the first few minutes and Mary resisted the urge to take the spoon off him to help but knew how she would react if the roles were reserved. Once he settled on carefully, balancing the carton between his knees she got up and started moving around the room, tidying as she went. **_

"_**You not eating?" He questioned after a few minutes of silence.**_

"_**I'll get something later." She shrugged and looked back to see he had set the soup on the bedside table. "You done?" **_

"_**Yeah… Not really hungry." **_

_**With a quick glance she saw he had eaten almost half of it and guessed that was better than nothing. "I should change your dressings…"**_

"_**Later…" He shifted so he led down. "I'm going to have that nap now then take a shower."**_

"_**Okay…I'll be here when you wake up."**_

"_**You should sleep too…you look exhausted." **_

"_**I'm fine." **_

"_**Mare, come on…get some rest then we can plan how we're going to get to Detroit." He reached up his good arm, catching hold of her hand and tugging her closer to the bed. **_

"_**It should be me that's taking care of you…" She commented as she sat down the bed. **_

"_**We take care of each other…" He said as his eyes closed. "We're in this together." **_

"_**Yeah…" She whispered in agreement, she led down, watching him closely. "Yeah, we are." **_

"Mary?"

She looked back in the mirror to him. "Hmm?"

"Where did you go?" He questioned.

"Just thinking…" she replied.

"Thinking what?"

"That everything we've been through proves that whatever happens we can get through it as long as we're together."

He smiled widely. "I've been telling you that for years."

"Just….I don't know if I never thanked you…for everything that you did for me…for us."

He sat forward, so he could reach her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "There is nowhere else I would rather be…You know that."

"I do."

"So, let's find somewhere to stop for tonight and plan our return to Albuquerque."

"I cannot wait to see Stan's face…" Mary smiled. "Especially after he sees what you've done to me."

"What I've done to you?" He repeated. "You say that like you said no role in it and if I remember rightly, you played a very big role that night…"

"Alright, doofus…remember there's a child sat beside you."

Marshall looked at Hannah who still looked half asleep as she sipped on a bottle of water. He smiled a little, he could wait to see Stan too and show off his family. Maybe it will be good to go back and catch up with everyone.

**TBC**

**Please review! **


	13. Nice Hotels

**Hey, thank you all so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**To The End of the Earth **

**Nice Hotels:**

"You know she has her own bed, right?" Mary commented as she entered the bedroom in the hotel suite they were renting in Birmingham, Alabama. They had been spending a couple of nights in Alabama, giving Nathan time to do some digging to find out if there was anyone still watching out for him.

"I know but I love this feeling." He kept his voice low, rubbing small circles on Hannah's back as she slept peacefully on his bare chest. "When she is all clean, warm and snuggly in her pajamas."

She climbed onto the bed beside him. "Don't say snuggly."

He smirked a little but didn't say anymore and stretched an arm out to put around her.

"Did Nathan get back to you?" She settled against his shoulder.

"He had nothing new to tell me." He replied. "But I'll give him another call tomorrow…Then we can decide our next move for definite."

"Then we need to work out where we're going after that." She added. "I'm already getting sick of hotels."

"At least this is one of the nicer ones we've stayed in."

"That one in Rockford is by far the worst…" She mumbled, remembering treating his bullet wound and sat watching him sleeping for two days, scared out of her mind he wouldn't wake up.

"The one in Cleveland was pretty nice." He knew what she was thinking about and tightened his arm around her.

"That's because you wanted to splash the cash on something fancy." She poked him in the ribs teasingly.

"We had a hard couple of days and both needed some rest…" He claimed. "And I didn't hear you complaining at the time…"

_**They had left Rockford after one more night, despite Mary's protests. She wanted to stay longer, to allow Marshall to get some more rest but he insisted he was up to the six and a half hour drive from Illinois through Michigan to Detroit. Their first stop once they got there was the Fed-Ex office and as promised there was a package waiting for them. They were both on edge, waiting for someone to turn up but fortunately, no one ever did. They didn't hang around for long and they spent another three hours on the road, this time stopping in Cleveland. **_

_**As promised, Nathan had sent some antibiotics, stronger painkillers, a couple of burn phones and some more IDs. What surprised them both was the money. Nathan had included 50,000 dollars in cash and they just stared at it in disbelief when they reached Cleveland and had gone through the bag. **_

"_**Why would he do this?" Mary questioned. **_

"_**I admit, I was expecting this much money but he knows what we're doing and how hard it would be to do on a shoe string." Marshall stuffed everything into their backpack. "We can get a new car, one that will last us longer and we can start staying in one place to regroup."**_

"_**I meant why would he go to this much trouble?"**_

"_**I told you, he's my friend…" **_

"_**With this and the 10 grand we started with, that makes 60,000 dollars…I don't know if I would just give a friend that kind of money."**_

_**Marshall sighed. "I've helped him in the past…"**_

"_**You earned a 60,000 dollar favor?" **_

"_**It's not that simple…" He rolled his eyes. "We help each other out when we need it… There's a lot about him that I don't even know but I do know he's not short on money…this is nothing to him." **_

"_**I still don't trust him."**_

_**Marshall shrugged. "I know, its okay… I'm not completely sure I trust anyone either at the moment." **_

"_**Yeah…" She glanced across at him. "Except you."**_

"_**Hmmm?" **_

"_**I don't trust anyone…except you." She needed him to know.**_

_**He smiled. "Going to stop trying to ditch me then?" **_

"_**That depends, if you get shot again, you're on your own." She started up the car engine. "We should find somewhere to stop for the night."**_

"_**Let's go to a proper hotel…somewhere with a nice soft bed…a bathtub and a huge room service menu."**_

"_**That'll be expensive." **_

"_**We got some money…might as well use it." He answered. "Beside, those kind of places have security…We'll be a little safer than a rat infested motel where the lock doesn't even work properly." **_

"_**Are you sure?" **_

"_**Yeah, we both can do with a little bit of comfort right now." He reasoned. "We'll spend a couple of nights…map out where we want to go next."**_

"_**Okay but I'm warning you now…I'm getting steak for dinner." **_

_**Marshall smiled a little; it was nice to see her acting more like herself again. **_

"Okay, I'll admit that it was a nice hotel." Mary agreed. "Even if all you did was sleep."

"I was recovering." He argued, carefully getting up and crossing the room. He gently led Hannah down on the single bed. She whimpered quietly at the loss of contact but he knelt on the floor beside her, covering her up and stroking her head gently until she settled back down again.

Mary watched him kiss her forehead before he rejoined her on the bed.

"Are you worried?" She asked, returning her head to his shoulder when he leaned back against the headboard.

"About returning to New Mexico?" He questioned. "Nathan's got our back; he would tell us if there was a risk."

"No about Hannah and the baby."

"Ah."

"Yeah…I mean, I haven't had much experience with kids but is her reaction normal?"

"I don't know, Mare…" He sighed. "I guess we just have to make sure she doesn't feel left out."

"She doesn't want to share you…that's the problem." She predicted. "She's Daddy's little princess…"

"She's just young…She doesn't understand." Marshall continued. "She'll grow out of it."

"It's going to be you that'll suffer every time she throws a jealous fit whenever you go near him."

"Her." He corrected. "And it'll be fine…It won't get that bad…I bet as soon as she sees her, she'll love her."

"I hope you're right." She sighed.

He smiled and kissed her softly. "I am."

She sank into his arms, contently. "Do you have any suggestions where we settle down?"

"I guess it depends on how things go at home…" Marshall replied. "It's possible that we'll have to move further away…"

"Home?" She repeated.

"What?"

"You still consider Albuquerque as home?"

He sighed. "I don't know, I guess it will always be home just like Phoenix will be."

"I wish…" She started and then stopped.

"You wish what?"

"Just that we could live wherever we like…"

"Well, things are different now." He replied. "Once we've decided where we went to go, we'll discuss it with Nathan…See what he thinks."

"What about Phoenix?" She suggested. "Closer to your family?"

"You want to live in Phoenix?" He asked in surprise.

"Yeah, it's a good place as any and if things have settled down, your family will be around if we need them."

"Well, I guess it's something to think about." Marshall kissed her forehead. "But you're not just saying this because you think it's what I want, are you?"

"Don't you want it?"

"You know I miss my family but as long as I got you and the kids, then that's all I need." He insisted. "Our safely comes first and I know my family would understand that and want it that way."

"I just hate all this moving around…Trying to work out where the best place to go."

"I know."

"Remember when we left Cleveland?" She sat up to look at him. "When we decided to head for Connecticut…I thought we would be there for a while…get our feet back underneath us…but we barely lasted a week."

"I remember..." He replied, wincing a little in memory. "Probably not our greatest idea to go somewhere so close to New Jersey…"

"_**We should find you a doctor…" Mary commented; apply a fresh bandage to Marshall's wound. It had been a little over a week since he had been shot and although, it seemed to be healing well, Mary was worried about the limited movement he had.**_

"_**And what do I tell him?" He asked. "It'll be a red flag and we can't have people asking too many questions."**_

"_**Fine but don't come running to me when your arm drops off." **_

"_**Its fine…Those antibiotics have kept an infection at bay…I just need to rest it when I can."**_

"_**You're just trying to get out of making dinner, aren't you?" **_

_**He laughed. "I can pick up a phone and order pizza."**_

"_**Sounds like a plan." She agreed, standing up and handing him his t-shirt once she was finished. He pulled it on and Mary knew he was biting back a groan in pain as he did. She then helped him put the sling on before handing him the phone. **_

_**They had been in Bridgeport in Connecticut for three days now. Once they arrived, they found a small condo that they rented out. They both were ready for a break from the road and thought they could spend a few weeks there laying low. **_

"_**Why don't we go out?" Marshall suddenly said. **_

"_**For pizza?"**_

"_**For anything…All we've eaten is takeaways and from crappy diners…Let's get some proper food and have a night out."**_

"_**You think that's a good idea?"**_

"_**People are going to talk if stay locked up in here all the time."**_

"_**I guess it might be fun to get out for a bit." **_

_**He smiled. "It's a date then."**_

"_**I'm sorry? What?" **_

"_**What?" He frowned a little in confusion. **_

"_**What you just said then…" She waved a hand at him. "About it being a date…" **_

"_**It's a figure of speech, Mare."**_

"_**Uh-huh…if you say so."**_

"_**Go get changed." He rolled his eyes, knowing she was just teasing him. "I want to go somewhere nice and I don't think you'll fit in with sweats on."**_

"_**So now you're asking me to dress up…" **_

"_**Oh god." He stood up and walked out the bathroom. "Should have just ordered a pizza…."**_

_**Two hours later, they were sat in a small Italian restaurant and after the first course, they both started to relax. It felt like any other time they had gone out and Mary finally began to think that they might just be able to make this whole thing work. It only lasted a few hours, after leaving the restaurant and deciding to walk back to their apartment, her name was called. They both froze for a second before a man appeared in front of them. **_

"_**Mary?" He grinned at her. "Oh, wow…It's been years since I last saw you…." **_

"_**I uh…" She shot a look towards Marshall. "Mark….Hi."**_

"_**What are you up these days?" He continued, oblivious to the couple tension and nervousness. "I heard a wild rumor that you joined the Marshal Service." **_

"_**Well yeah…" **_

"_**That's crazy." He laughed. "Seriously?" **_

"_**I'm sorry to interrupt…but Mare, we should go." Marshall placed his uninjured hand on the base of spin, ready to guide her away. **_

"_**Oh I'm sorry…" Mark stuck his hand out towards Marshall. "Mark Stuber."**_

"_**Marshall Thomson…" He replied, deciding to use a name on one of the IDs Nathan had given them. **_

"_**So, what you doing in Bridgeport?" He asked. "Last time I spoke to Brandi, she said you moved out west." **_

"_**I did." Mary nodded. "Brandi and my mom eventually joined me…It's why we're here actually…Trying to escape them."**_

_**Mark laughed again. "That doesn't surprise me…How long you here for?" **_

"_**Not long." Marshall supplied. "We're going to New York tonight before flying to Europe tomorrow."**_

"_**Europe?" He repeated.**_

"_**Paris." **_

"_**Marshall!" Mary glared at him. She knew what he was doing. She knew that if Mark spoke to anyone, he would throw them off course and she knew the role she needed to play in the double act. **_

"_**What? You think they'll follow us to France?" He asked. **_

"_**You're going to the city of love?" Mark smirked at Mary. "I didn't think that was your kind of thing."**_

"_**It's not." She answered before looking back to Marshall. "I told you, I'm not living somewhere, where they don't talk my language." **_

_**Marshall rolled his eyes. "They speak English there and you would pick up the French eventually…"**_

"_**Marshall!"**_

"_**What made you choose France?" Mark questioned, amused at Mary's reaction. **_

"_**I have some…contacts there." Marshall said cryptically.**_

"_**Well, it doesn't matter, we won't be stay there long…It's bad enough you're making me go to Europe…you are not going to make me stay in foreign speaking country…" Mary claimed. **_

"_**It's not foreign when it's their country, Mare." Marshall sighed.**_

"_**I don't care…"**_

_**Mark just laughed again, shaking his head. "Well, if I'm ever over that way, I'll look you guys up."**_

"_**You do that." Mary gave him another smile before reaching out and catching Marshall's hand, tugging him away with her.**_

"_**Nice to meet you." Marshall said before following her. **_

"_**Oh god…" Mary breathed once they crossed the street. **_

"_**Just keep walking…" Marshall replied. "We should leave tonight…Change cars again."**_

"_**I shouldn't have let my guard down…" She stated. "I have been looking…"**_

"_**Who is he anyway?" **_

"_**My ex-husband." She said without thinking and she was a few paces in front when she realized Marshall wasn't beside her. "Marshall?" **_

"_**I'm sorry…you're what?" **_

"_**You really want to get into that now?!" She asked frustrated.**_

"_**Right…" He shook his head a little. "We can discuss it later…"**_

"_**I'll look forward to it." **_

_**After getting back to their apartment, they packed everything up and jumped into the car. Mary was surprised when he told her to go to New York like they had told Mark and questioned his sanity when he told her to head for JFK airport. Once they got there, she stayed in the car while he went in and brought two airline tickets to France using a credit card Nathan had given him with the name he had given Mark. If Mark did speak to anyone about seeing them and they checked out their story then hopefully it would keep them off their radar for a while. **_

"_**You're insane, you know that?" Mary complained when he got back into the car and watched him rip up the tickets. "I can't believe you wasted 3000 dollars on plane tickets we're not even using."**_

"_**Sorry, did you want to go to France?" **_

"_**You know that even if your little plan did work, they'll find out we didn't actually get on the plane." **_

"_**I'll give Nathan a call…He should be able to make it look like we did." **_

"_**What the hell does this guy do, exactly?" **_

"_**Would you believe if I told you I had no idea?" **_

"_**No."**_

"_**Well, I don't…I think it's probably best if I don't." **_

_**Mary sighed and turned her attention back to the road. "So, where are we going now?" **_

"_**Got any ex-husband hidden in New Hampshire?" **_

"_**You don't want to go further away?" She ignored his comment. **_

"_**They probably wouldn't think we'd stick close by." He shrugged. "Plus, there are a lot of remote areas around there." **_

"_**Okay, if you say so…" **_

"Do you think Mark ever spoke to anyone?" Mary questioned.

"Probably not." Marshall shrugged. "But at least we covered our tracks."

"Maybe we should have gotten on that plane…"

"You living in France?" He laughed. "That I would have loved to have seen!"

She poked him in the ribs. "Oh and you would have coped fine, I suppose."

"Oui." He grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes and settled back against his chest. "I guess New Hampshire wasn't too bad."

"We had some good times there." Marshall smiled, tightening his hold on her.

"I loved that house we had."

"Me too." He agreed. "I liked the fact that we didn't see people for days unless we went into the town."

"It was the safest I felt for weeks." She admitted. "Where I finally begin to relax."

"Things were a lot easier when we weren't always looking over our shoulder." He replied. "And started to have some fun."

She grinned. "Oh…I liked the fun."

"I remember…" He smirked, leaning down to kiss her.

Just as she settled her body across his, they heard Hannah stir. They both froze but were thankfully she didn't wake fully.

"We really need to find somewhere, where she can have own room." Mary complained.

Marshall smiled and brushed her hair off her face before kissing her forehead. "We should probably get some sleep anyway….Long drive tomorrow."

"I guess you're right."

He reached over and turned the lamp on the bedside table off before pulling her back to him.

"Marshall?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's going to be okay, going back to Albuquerque, isn't it?"

"Of course…We'll have each other's back."

"And if someone comes after us?"

"We go back to our old plan…"

"Shot and then run like hell?" She couldn't help but smile a little.

"Exactly." He kissed her once more. "It'll be fine."

"Okay…" She sighed contently and settled back down. "Good night."

"Night." He whispered and closed his eyes but he was pretty sure he wouldn't be sleeping at all that night.

**TBC**

**So, they're on their way home! Who remembers that's Stan is meant to be meeting with the Shannons and the Manns? That's coming up in the next chapter! **


	14. Truth comes out

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed and to all that are still reading. This isn't my favorite chapter…a bit boring but needed to be done. **

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**Truth comes out:**

Stan paused in the hallway of Mary's house…Not Mary's house…It hadn't been her house for four years now but every time he came here, he was always felt sad. It didn't feel right to be there when Mary wasn't. It reminded him of the time, when Mary had been abducted and they had been there trying to find anything that might help them to get her back. He remembered how Marshall had moved around the house at ease, knowing exactly where everything was, as if it was his own home yet Stan felt like he shouldn't have been there without Mary's permission. Which was ridicules because he knew she would understand why they had been there that day and any other day, he went to visit her at home she had always welcomed him inside. Even know in his mind, he could picture her laughing at him for being so soft. Like he had reminded himself, she would say this wasn't her house anymore.

"Stan?"

He looked up and saw Eleanor in the doorway to living room, looking back and waiting for him to join her.

"Sorry, I'm coming." He moved down the hall and when they entered the room, all eyes turned to them.

Jinx and Colleen were sat on the couch together while Seth, Rob and Andy stood behind them. Brandi was sat in the arm chair, with Peter perched on the arm. He was surprised to see Bobby stood leaning against the wall, silently observing everything and everyone while Raphael sat on a chair in the corner of the room, looking just as heartbroken as the day Stan had told them that Mary and Marshall had left.

"Good afternoon, everyone." He greeted.

"Stan…" Seth approached him, holding out a hand. "It's good to see you."

"You too." He shook his hand.

He had been waiting for Seth's call since he had found out about their trip to Maine. What had surprised him was that they actually saw Marshall and Mary. Seth had told him very little, just that they had spoken to them briefly and arranged to meet for the breakfast the next day but when then returned, they had disappeared again.

Stan knew Seth wasn't stupid and that had probably worked out why they had ran but he was guessing, the reason they had asked to meet him was to find out what exactly was going on. At first, Stan decided to just stick to what he had been saying for the past four years; that he didn't know why they had left, just that they had gone together but then he had gotten a late call, last night telling him he had clearance to discuss the case. He had no clue who it had come from but everything checked out. He had debated with himself whether or not he should tell them the truth and the only thing that made him decided to was he had been going crazy with knowing everything other than where Mary and Marshall was now…their families knew nothing at all. At least this way, they might just be able to move on.

"You're Marshall's boss?" Colleen questioned. "He always talked about you…I know, he respects you a lot."

Stan smiled a little. "Thank you; he was a great marshal and an even better friend…"

"Do you know where they've gone?" She cut right to the chase.

"I don't, I'm sorry."

"But you know why they left?" Andy questioned.

Stan sighed and sat down. "I do."

"And it's not because they wanted to be together?" Raph asked.

"Whatever their reasons for leaving, they're married now…" Seth cut in with a glare towards Raph. "You and Mary are over."

"They're married?" Eleanor asked.

Colleen nodded. "And have a little a girl."

Stan mouth fell open a little. "They have a daughter."

"Hannah…She's two years old and just adorable." Colleen told them. "Don't you see why it's important for us to find them? Not only could they be in danger but our grandchild too."

"Mary and Marshall would protect her with every bone in their body." Stan assured her. "You don't need to worry about her."

"And what about them? Who protects them?" Seth asked.

"They protect each other." He answered softly. "Always have done."

"I don't understand…You've always told us that they ran away to be together but you're surprised that they're married and have a kid?" Brandi shook her head a little, confused.

"He lied to us." Jinx told her. "He's been lying to us all this whole time."

Stan sighed. "I didn't have a choice…"

"She's my daughter!" Jinx glared at him. "You had no right!"

"I did what I had to do to keep them safe and I do not or will not ever regret that." Stan replied calmly.

"But you're here now so there must be something that you can tell us…" Rob cut in before it could too heated.

"Yes." He nodded. "I received a call…Giving me the all clear to discuss the case with you."

"What happened?" Seth asked, eagerly.

"I don't know how much of this you would have seen in the newspapers and on the news but just over two years ago, there was a big case involving the FBI…"

"The one with the corrupt agents?" Seth immediately knew what Stan was the talking about. "The one involving Marcus Lewis?"

"Yes." Stan nodded then looked the others in the room. "Two years ago, there was an operation which led the arrest of 18 FBI agents, 9 Marshals, as well as local police officers and detectives in several locations across the country and about 85 civilians linked to drug trafficking, money laundering and murder."

"Wait, Marcus Lewis?" Rob repeated. "I know that name."

"He was a friend of Marshall's." Seth informed him. "He worked in the FBI."

"What does all this have to do with Mary and Marshall?" Brandi asked. "They don't think they were involved? Mary would never do anything like that…"

"No, it wasn't that." Stan told her. "Mary was a witness to a murder and it made her one of the few people able to identify the main players in this case."

Brandi's eyes widened and she looked at Peter, who reached over and squeezed her hand. "She saw some get killed?"

"At the time, we knew there were some corrupt agents inside the FBI but we had no idea how deep it went." Stan continued. "We discussed it and decided that Mary needed to lay low for a while…Stay out of sight for a few days while we worked out our next move."

"Who was 'we'?"

"Marcus, Mary, Marshall and I."

"I don't understand how a few days turned into four years." Jinx stated.

"Mary and Marshall….They're good at their jobs…they know what all the risks are... Mary would have known what kind of danger she was in and I know if it would have just been herself, she would have stayed and faced it full on." He paused for a second. "But she knew if she did that she would have been putting you in danger too…She wouldn't have wanted that."

"So, you just decided she should leave?"

"No." He shook his head. "I went to get some supplies, some stuff that would help keep her hidden…when I returned to the office; their badges were on my desk with a note from Mary saying she was going alone to keep everyone safe."

"What about Marshall?" Colleen asked. "If Mary was the one in danger, why would he leave too?"

Stan smile a little. "Because he loves her."

"I thought you didn't know how they felt about each other…" Rob pointed out.

Stan laughed lightly. "Oh I knew how they felt about each other...Just didn't know they would act on it….I hoped they would…I'm glad they did, that they've had each other there during all of this."

"Mary was engaged to me when she left." Raph cut in. "Why would she run off with another man? Why wouldn't she come to me for help? I would have given up everything to go with her."

"Believe me, Raphael I have no clue how Marshall convinced her but if I know Mary, she would not have let him go along with her willing." Stan told him. "She would have wanted him far away from her…She would have known anyone with her would be in danger."

"But they stayed together…even four years later." Raph muttered bitterly.

"Marshall is sneaky like that; he got Mary to agree with all kind of things without her knowing." Eleanor added with a little shrug. "There is no way he would have let her alone…not in a millions years."

"So, are they still in danger?" Peter asked, trying to get the conversation back on track. "After all these years and after all those arrests?"

"Like I said before, I was given the all clear to discuss the case with you but I wouldn't like to say for certain that it's safe for them…" Stan shrugged a little. "I have a feeling; I was given the okay to answer your questions…"

"So we stop looking for them." Seth finished off.

"I don't know who is in contact with them but there is someone out there helping them."

"That's why we got that phone call telling us to stop asking questions when we first found out they went missing." Andy looked at his Dad and brother. "If the case has been solved, then maybe it's not that they can't come back but they don't want to."

"What about this Marcus guy?" Peter asked when Brandi started to cry quietly. He didn't want to give up just yet. "If he was a friend of Marshall's maybe he's the one that has been in contact with them….Could he help us?"

"You said he was FBI…Past tense." Rob pointed out. "Was he one of the ones arrested?"

Stan sighed and rubbed his head, uncomfortably. "No….He was one of the good guys…."

"_**Stan?" **_

_**At the sound of his name being called, Stan squeezed his eyes shut and muttered a curse before turning around and smiling. **_

"_**Seth?" He shook the hand that was held out to him. "How are you?" **_

"_**Oh you know…" The other man shrugged. "I'm surprised to see you here…I didn't know you knew Marcus."**_

"_**I worked with him a few times." **_

"_**I see." Seth nodded a little. "You know, he was a friend of Marshall's? They even shared an apartment at one point." **_

"_**Yeah, I remember being told." **_

_**Seth leaned against the wall and looked around. "To tell you the truth, I was expecting him to be here." **_

"_**Marshall?" **_

"_**I thought….I don't know I guess I thought I knew him better, I thought he would at least come to his friend's funeral." **_

"_**Maybe he doesn't know." Stan offered weakly. **_

"_**It's been all over the news…Marcus' murder as sparked the discovery of corruption across all of Law Enforcement…." Seth pointed out. "No, he's either heard about it and doesn't care or….."**_

"_**Or what?" Stan questioned when he trailed off. **_

"_**Or he's dead himself."**_

"_**Hey, no, come on you can't think like that." Stan told him. "He's probably tied up…maybe he's not even in the country." **_

"_**Hmmm…" **_

"_**What?" **_

"_**Nothing, just something someone said." **_

"_**Seth?" **_

"_**Someone from Mary's past claimed to have seen them just after they went missing and said they were on their way to France." Seth explained. "But we checked all the flights but couldn't come up with a match."**_

"_**Well, maybe they went under a different name." Stan suggested; he was surprised that they would risk trying to leave the country but maybe that's how they've stayed hidden. **_

"_**I still don't understand why he would just leave without a word." Seth sighed. "Are you sure he didn't say anything to you?" **_

"_**I've told you what I can…I'm sorry I can't help more…I miss them too." **_

"He was murdered?!"

"Like I said, there was someone out there helping Mary and Marshall, the only person who they would contact was Marcus…He was the only one who knew who this person was."

"That's why he was killed? They were trying to find out where Mary and Marshall were?"

"We think so." Stan nodded. "He wouldn't tell them what wanted so they got rid of him but he was smart, he knew I could happen, so he set up surveillances, his murder was caught on CCTV…Arrests were made and people then started to talk to try and save their own skin."

"So, what do we do now?" Colleen asked. "Surely, there's a way for us to be in contact with them? Even if it's just a letter every now and then?"

"Look, I can't tell you what to do but trust them to know what they're doing." Stan advised softly. "But chasing them around the country is not going to help…It'll make them nervous and force them deeper into hiding…Especially now they have a child to think about."

"He's right." Seth added, he looked at his wife. "Please, listen to him…Please for Marshall's sake."

"We'll go….Leave you to discuss this some more." Stan stood up and Eleanor followed suit. "I just ask, you keep this to yourself…I know, it might seem like the danger is over but you don't who is listening or about."

"Of course." Seth agreed and followed him out the room, to the door.

"Mom, are you okay?" Rob sat beside her and put an arm around her.

She just nodded silently, thinking over everything they had just heard.

"I can't believe this…" Brandi whispered. "I can't believe Mary got caught up in all this…She must have been so scared."

"Well, at least we know now." Peter said softly. "And I think we should take Chief McQueen's advice."

"Just let her go?" Brandi looked at him.

"For now." He nodded. "She'll be in touch when she's ready."

Bobby tried to leave when Stan did, wanting to ask him some more questions but he got stopped by Andy. He hadn't wanted to talk about they just learnt but instead asked Bobby about Mary. He wanted to make sure that his little brother had done the right thing by giving up everything for this woman. Bobby tried to assure him that they had been best friend and would have done anything for each other. When he heard someone at the door, he used to as his chance to escape.

"I'll get it." He told Jinx who had been talking with Brandi. "I need to get going anyway…"

He let out a breath and shook his head once he was out of the room. He always suspected something to do with a case had caused Mary and Marshall to go into hiding but hadn't expected it to be so big.

He pulled open the door and froze when he saw the person on the other side.

"Should I be concerned it you that's opening the door?"

"Damn, girl…just when everyone is convinced to stop looking for you, you turn up…great timing, as usual."

Mary smirked. "It's good to see you too, detective."

**TBC**

**Bit of a dull chapter and flashback but hoped the cliffhanger helped make it more exciting. Also, more on Marcus' death too come. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	15. New Life

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming. **

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**New life:**

Bobby stepped aside to allow Mary into the house and gesture for her to go into the living room where everyone still was. She gave him a look of hesitation before telling herself that she had come here to do this…She took a long, deep breath before straightening up a little and walking down the hall. Bobby smirked as he closed the door then followed her; there was no way he was missing this.

"Mary?!" Brandi was the first to spot her.

"Hey Squish…" She managed to reply as her sister pushed Peter out of her way to run to her, throwing her arms around her.

"I knew you would come back!"

"Figured there were some things you needed to hear about from me." Mary replied, stepping back and looked around the room.

"Where are Marshall and Hannah?" Colleen asked, with a hint of concern in her voice.

Mary was surprised to see his parents there along with two men that she was pretty sure were his brothers.

"Are they okay?" Seth questioned when she didn't answer.

She shook her head a little to clear it. "Yes, sorry…they're fine…It was a long drive and we thought Hannah could do with a bit of fresh air so Marshall took her the park for an hour…He'll be here soon."

"Why wouldn't you bring her?" Jinx asked. "We haven't had any time with her…"

"Exactly." Mary sighed and pushed some hair back from her face. "It's been a crazy few weeks…A lot of travelling…I didn't want her getting in a middle of an argument."

"What argument?" Brandi frowned.

"The one that we normally always have when we have something to talk about."

"She's my grandchild…my first and only grandchild." Jinx protested. "Are you always going to keep her from us? From her family?"

"Look, there has been so much happening and she confused already." Mary stated. "It's not just all the moving around but about the baby too…Right now, all she wants is her Daddy…She's not going to react well to a lot of new people."

"We're her family…" Brandi replied. "We won't scare her."

"I know you wouldn't mean to but she's a little girl who does know who you are." She sighed. "I don't know how long we'll be in town for…Do you really want to waste time by fighting about that or do you want to talk about what happened?"

"What do you mean you don't know how long you'll be in town for? Aren't you staying?" Brandi questioned.

"You look exhausted…why don't we all take a seat before we get into it all again." Andy guided Mary over the couch. "I'm Andy by the way and that's my brother Rob…I guess, we're your brother—in-laws."

Mary gave him a small smile. "Marshall will love seeing you both…I'm glad you're here."

"Mary, can I get you a drink?" Peter offered. "Or something to eat?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant, not sick."

"Hey, I remember what you used to be like with food…not offering because you're pregnant." Peter hit back with a smile. "But if you don't want anything…"

"I'll just take a bottle of water." Mary gave him a smile. "Thanks…"

"Coming up." He moved to the kitchen.

"So…" Mary started as she sat down and looked around the room. "Who wants to know what?"

"Where did you go?" Brandi sat beside her.

"We went to a lot of places…" Mary answered vaguely. "We had to keep moving around for a while until we were sure we were safe."

"Just the two of you?" Coleen asked.

"Yeah, it was the best thing that less people were involved."

"So, just the two of you travelling around the country?" Raph questioned. "And you didn't want any of us with you?"

"It's not that simple, Raph…I would have been dragging you into something that you wouldn't have been able to handle."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you…and I know me…" She sighed. "The first fight we had I would have told you to get lost…to leave…And you would have…You have done in past."

"But I always came back, Mary…" He replied. "And if you think I would have just abandoned you then you didn't know me at all…"

"You may not have wanted to abandon me, Raph but you would have still left…and it's not the kind of situation where you could just walk away then come back…It would have put us both in danger."

"Oh and I'm sure Marshall handled everything perfectly…" Raph said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That you guys just had a great time being on the run…That you wouldn't even dream of telling him to get lost."

Mary tensed at his words, feeling anger rising up in her. The rational part of her brain told her that he was just hurt and confused; that he didn't know how hard it had been for them.

"I did tell him to get lost…I told him every day for about a week." Mary argued. "But he wouldn't listen… He refused to leave my side and I thank god every day that he's the most stubborn, annoying, wondering, selfless person I ever met."

"So, you just decided to start another life together somewhere else?" Jinx asked.

"Oh my god…I keep telling you! It wasn't like that!" Mary said frustrated. "It was hard…the hardest thing I've ever had to do but I'm not going to lie and tell you I regret it."

"Were you really happy?" Brandi asked, quietly. "I mean, after you found somewhere safe to be?"

Mary smiled a little, thinking back to the first house they rented in New Hampshire. "Yes…It took it awhile but yes, we were happy."

"_**You want to go for a walk?" Marshall asked, sitting across from Mary as they ate breakfast. **_

_**It had been five weeks since they arrived in New Hampshire and after staying in a hotel for a week until they saw a notice, advertising a three bedroom house that was surrounded by a forest area and to get to it, the last 5 miles to the house were dirt roads. It was the perfect place for them to hide out. They were renting from an elderly couple, whose son owned the house but sadly he and his family died in a car accident. Marshall had told them they had not long been married and was doing some travelling to find the perfect place to settle down.**_

_**Since arriving, they had only gone into the nearby town three times to stock up on supplies. For the first couple of weeks, Marshall spent resting up and making sure his arm healed properly. Then they spent a lot of time making plans incase they're location was discovered. **_

_**Now Marshall was bored. **_

"_**A walk where?" Mary asked, sipping her coffee. **_

"_**I don't know…anywhere." He shrugged. "We could go into town for a bit…look around." **_

"_**Why?" **_

"_**Because I'm going to go crazy if we spend another day here doing nothing…"**_

"_**I thought you had started on some yard work?" **_

"_**I did…But it'll be nice to have a change of scenery…maybe find somewhere to have lunch?" **_

"_**No, don't feel like it today." She stood up and placed her mug and plate in the sink. **_

"_**Fine…" He sighed. "I'll go alone." **_

"_**What?" She turned back to him quickly.**_

"_**Yeah, I think it'll be good to get some fresh air…" **_

"_**You can't." **_

"_**Why not?" **_

"_**You just can't!" **_

"_**Mary?" He stood up and crossed over to her. "Why not?" **_

"_**It could be dangerous." She replied. "You could get hurt." **_

"_**We're safe here, Mare." He replied, placing a hand on her arm. "I've been checking in with Nathan and he said there's nothing to report." **_

"_**You don't know we're safe…your friend doesn't either." She stepped back from him. "We don't even know who we're running from."**_

"_**We can't just stay hauled up in here." **_

"_**It's too risky." She claimed. "I'm sorry, no." **_

"_**Fine." He relented. **_

"_**Good." She moved past him to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to take a shower."**_

"_**Okay, I'll see you later then." **_

"_**What?" **_

"_**I'll be back in a few hours." He added. "I'm going into town." **_

"_**Marshall…" **_

"_**I'm done with being stuck inside." He replied.**_

"_**Just a few more days…" She blocked him from leaving the room. "Until we know for certain…"**_

"_**Nothing is going to change in a few days, Mare… And our location isn't going to be given away by us walking around the town." He claimed. "The fact that we've barely left the house is probably making people suspicious…"**_

"_**Fine, go!" She stepped aside. "But go alone!" **_

_**He sighed. "I won't be gone long…I'll bring something back for dinner." **_

_**Mary watched him walking down the hall, grabbing a jacket off the hook before pulling open the front door. **_

"_**Damn it!" Mary muttered, not believing he would actually go.**_

_**It took Marshall a little over an hour to reach the town and he had considered several times turning around to going back but he knew they couldn't carry on like they were. They would go crazy and probably end up killing each other if they stayed in the house together much longer.**_

_**He passed a few shop but didn't go in any until he reached a little café called Lilly's. Once inside, he saw the couple they were renting from, Joe and Lucille Banes sat at the table by the window. **_

"_**Mr. Watkins…" The older man greeted him, standing up and holding out a hand. "It's nice to run into you…Haven't seen you around town much." **_

"_**Please, call me Marshall." He shook his hand. "I must admit, we haven't done much exploring…We come down with a bug so been resting up." **_

"_**Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Joe replied. "Is there anything you need? Everything okay with the house?"**_

"_**Everything is great." Marshall smiled. "Perfect." **_

"_**Well, you know where we are if you need anything." Lucille added, glancing behind him. "Oh, Trudy…Come meet Mr. Watkins…." **_

_**Marshall turned and saw a woman with short red hair walking towards him, a pad of paper and pencil in her hand. "Marshall, please." **_

"_**Trudy Nelson…" She shook his hand. "I work here…" **_

"_**Nice to meet you." He replied. "I've just moved to the area and not had chance to meet any other then Mr. and Mrs. Banes…" **_

"_**They're renting out George and Steph's place." Joe explained. **_

"_**They?" Trudy questioned. **_

"_**Mary and me…" Marshall explained before adding on something he never thought he would. "My wife." **_

"_**Oh." Her face fell a little in disappointment. "You're married." **_

"_**Yep…" Marshall smiled a little uncomfortably. **_

"_**They're newlyweds." Lucille stated.**_

"_**Really? Oh how nice…And where is your lovely wife?" Trudy asked with a forced smile. **_

"_**Ah, well…"**_

"_**Right here." **_

_**Marshall looked past Trudy and saw Mary stood behind her, not looking very happy.**_

"_**Hey…" He greeted, before continuing hesitantly. "Honey…"**_

_**Mary raised an eyebrow but decided not to comment.**_

"_**Are you feeling better, dear?" Joe asked her. **_

"_**Better?" She looked from him to Marshall who just shrugged a little. **_

"_**Marshall here told us you haven't been well…"**_

"_**Y'know, a few months into our marriage, I got a sickness bug." Lucille said but then grinned. "Except, it wasn't a bug…turned out to be our George making his presence known…"**_

_**Marshall tensed, waiting for Mary to work out what Lucille meant. **_

"_**I don't…" She started but then got it. "What? Oh no…no…nope, no chance..."**_

"_**You wouldn't like children?" Lucile questioned. **_

"_**We're in no rush…"Marshall said diplomatically. "Anyway, we'll let you get back to your lunch."**_

"_**Just remember, if there is anything you need…" Joe started. **_

"_**Thanks, we appreciate it." Marshall smiled, putting an arm around Mary waist and guiding her to an empty table on the other side of the room.**_

"_**What's the deal with you telling people we were sick?" She asked, taking a seat opposite him. **_

"_**Like I said earlier, people were wondering why they haven't seen us around." He picked up the menu. "I'm glad you decided to join me." **_

"_**Well, I waited about 30 minute and then realized you weren't coming back…" She replied. "And good thing I did… Just in time to stop you picking up a waitress…"**_

"_**What?" He head snapped up to look at her. **_

"_**Oh please…" She rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the look, Red over there was giving you." **_

"_**There was no look." Marshall claimed. "And even if there was, it wouldn't matter…"**_

"_**Why? Because we're married?" She said sarcastically. **_

"_**Well….Yeah." He answered. "It's important that people believe us…"**_

"_**Marshall…" She sighed. "It shouldn't be." **_

_**He frowned. "Shouldn't be important?" **_

"_**You should be able to pick up any woman you want…" She claimed. "I mean, what we going to do? Never date?" **_

"_**I haven't really given it much thought…" He told her. "But right now, it doesn't matter…"**_

"_**But…" **_

"_**Mare, what is this all about?" He asked. "I thought we were over you trying to ditch me.**_

"_**We are…It's not that." **_

"_**Then what?" He probed. "I know you're worried…but you know how these things work...You know the best place to hide is in plain sight…"**_

"_**That's the thing." She sighed. "It's like we've gone into wit-sec…"**_

"_**Well yeah, I guess we have…" **_

"_**And that doesn't bother you? This is our life now and we don't know when it's going to end…" She asked. "We both know how this works…We both know the next step is finding jobs so we can support ourselves…Jobs that don't involve Marshal Service…"**_

"_**Mare…"**_

"_**I worked damn hard in my life to do that job and I was good at it." She continued. "And you…You were better…not evening mentioning the fact you're fifth generation…"**_

"_**Hey." He cut in, reaching across the table and placing a hand over hers. "I know….It sucks…" **_

"_**Yeah…" **_

"_**But it's what we have to do." He said softly. "You're right, we don't know when this will end or if it even will but it's better than the alternative…"**_

"_**And what about our careers?" **_

"_**I don't know what to say, Mare…We've just got to do what we have to do." **_

"_**Still sucks." She muttered. **_

"_**And it's not like we have to stay here...We could move somewhere else, tell people that we're brother and sister or cousin or something….Then we're not tied to each other for the rest of our lives." He claimed. "Hey, we could even say we were married and got divorced…Bobby D always said we argued like an old married couple…"**_

_**Mary couldn't help but smile a little. "You don't think it would be weird for a divorced couple to move to the same city together?" **_

"_**When have we ever been normal?" He grinned causing her to laugh. **_

"_**Are you ready to order?" Trudy appeared at their side. **_

"_**Just two coffees, please…" Marshall answered. **_

"_**And two slices of pie." Mary added, this time it was her reaching over and taking Marshall's hand, waiting until Trudy walked away. "Pie makes everything better." **_

_**He smiled and squeezed her hand gently. "That's my girl…"**_

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	16. Old Grudges

**Hey, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. This is a pretty long chapter. I hope it's worth the read! Please let me know! **

**Enjoy! **

**Old Grudges**

"Over there." Eleanor pointed and grinned at Stan. "It's really him."

On their way back to the office, Stan had gotten a phone call and the voice on the other end had surprised him. He had never thought he would hear from Marshall again but he had called and asked to meet him at the local park. Eleanor had demanded she go with him, not wanting to miss the chance in case it was the only one they got. Looking around as they walked towards him, Stan realized that Mary was nowhere in sight and begun to worry that something had happened to her.

Marshall was very aware of his surrounding and felt someone approaching him. He turned around and grinned when he saw who it was.

"Marshall!" Eleanor hugged him as soon as she reached him. "It is so good to see you!"

"You too." He returned the hug and then held out a hand to Stan. "I'm glad you both could meet me."

"Are you kidding?" Stan asked, glancing towards the playground when saw Marshall kept looking over to it. "We wouldn't miss it for anything."

"So, where's Mary?" Eleanor asked. "Hope she's okay."

"She's fine." He assured them. "She went to the house to speak with her family."

"We must have just missed her…We were just there."

Marshall frowned in concern. "What for? What happened?"

"They wanted to know more about what happen when you two left…I originally told them that you had run off to be together." Stan told him. "After seeing you in Maine, your father figured out that there was more to it than that…He told them that they needed to back off but that just seemed to make them more determined to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah, I pretty much guessed he knew." Marshall sighed but again his eyes were back on the playground. "It's why we left…Are Mary's family really upset?"

"I think they're more worried but I'm sure now they've gotten a chance to talk to Mary again, she'll be able to reassure them." Stan told him, following his gaze to a little blonde girl sat playing in the sandbox. "And your dad and brothers were trying to reassure them."

Marshall turned his attention back to him quickly. "They're here?"

"Yeah, your mother was determined to find you, with or without your Dad's help." Stan chuckled lightly; the only time he had seen Seth Mann back down was when it came to his wife.

"So, what is this trip about?" Eleanor asked him. "Are you staying? Is it actually safe for you to be here?"

"I don't really know what's going to happen now." Marshall admitted. "We're pretty sure we're not in danger anymore but neither of us are too keen on sticking around too long to test that."

"I also heard my story about you running off to have a passionate affair isn't so fair from the truth…" Stan said. "You two finally wise up and admit your feelings?"

Marshall smiled. "It took a while but yeah….We got there."

**Marshall was looking in the fridge, trying to decide what to cook for dinner when he heard the front door open and close. They had been in New Hampshire for almost three months and they were both beginning to settle into their new life. **

"**I got a job." **

**He stood up quickly and turned to see Mary stood in the doorway. "You did?" **

**Marshall had only told her that morning that he had started looking for a job and could tell from her reaction she wasn't too keen on the idea. He guessed she wasn't ready to give up being a marshal but until this was all over, there was no way they could go back to it.**

"**Yep." **

"**Where?" **

"**Lilly's." **

**Marshall started at her for a few seconds, convinced he misheard her. "I'm sorry?" **

"**Lily's." She repeated. "That café in town we go to." **

"**You got a job working in a café? Seriously?" **

"**Hey, I can do it!" She claimed. "It's just a bit of waitressing…" **

"**Exactly…Serving customers….being nice to people." **

**She hit him in the ribs. "I can be nice." **

"**You do realize all the bad karma that is against you from all those times you never tipped?" He continued to tease.**

**She rolled her eyes. "This is different." **

"**Why? Because it's you?" **

"**Yes." **

"**When do you start?" **

"**Tomorrow." **

"**That's great, Mare." He said but then continued when she looked at him unconvinced. "I mean it, I'm glad you found something." **

"**Oh…thanks." **

"**Plus, it'll probably be the only time I can get you to make me coffee." He grinned widely. **

**She narrowed her eyes at him. "If I were you, I would be worried what else I put in that coffee." **

"**Ah, there's the Mary I know and love." **

"**Shut up." **

**He laughed as she left the room; happy that it was starting to feeling normal between them again. **

**The next day, Marshall waited until an hour before Mary was due to finish her first shift before walking into the café. **

"**What you doing here?" She asked. **

"**I thought I would meet you after you shift finished."**

"**I've got another hour." **

**He shrugged. "I can hang around for a bit."**

"**What happened?" She asked concerned. **

"**Nothing." **

"**Marshall…"**

**He sighed, loudly. "I'm so bored." **

"**What?" **

"**I'm bored…There's nothing to do at the house other then watch TV and I'm going to go crazy if I don't find something else do."**

"**No luck finding a job?" **

"**No, there doesn't seem much work about." He sighed.**

"**I'm sure you'll find something soon." **

"**Yeah…"**

"**Oh yeah, Marshall…" Trudy flashed him a smile as she walked over to them. "It's nice to see you again."**

"**You too…" Marshall replied but was taken aback by the glare on Mary's face. **

"**Are you here for a coffee?" She asked. "Because unless you want it black…I'll make it for you." **

"**There's no need for that…I can handle it." Mary stated. **

"**If you're sure…" Trudy said too sweetly as she walked into the back.**

"**What was all that about?" Marshall questioned when they were alone.**

"**A couple of customers sent back their coffees….apparently they're as fussy as you when it comes to their cappuccinos." She rolled her eyes. "Did you want a drink or not?" **

"**Uh, sure…Whatever easiest for you to do." **

"**Great." She reached into the fridge and grabbed a can of soda, throwing it over the counter to him.**

**He just about caught it before it hit him in the head. "Thanks."**

"**Someone left this behind earlier…there might be some job advertised in there." She handed him a local newspaper. "Go sit down…I'll bring you some pie over." **

**He took the paper and gave her a small smile. "Thanks." **

**After 30 minutes there was only Marshall and another two customers in the café and Mary was starting to get bored. The owner, Lilly was in the kitchen cleaning up and Trudy had thankfully disappeared on a break but it just left Mary and another member of staff, Nicole. She was a nice girl but she did not stop talking and Mary had given up trying to get a word in. She was half listening to Nicole telling her about her boyfriend as she watched Marshall. He was sat in the corner, the newspaper spread out on the table and she knew he would be reading every article that was in there. **

**She still couldn't believe this was there life now and that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. It was nice living with someone who didn't require her to do everything for them. They had settled into a routine where they would both make dinner together, working in perfect sync as they moved around the kitchen. Then they would watch a movie or something on TV and Mary couldn't remember the last time she had caught more than one episode of a TV series. **

**Then there was Trudy, who obviously had an eye on Marshall. Nicole had already warned her that the other woman had a thing for married guys and even after just one day working with her, Mary was ready shot her but knew Marshall would not approve. She knew she didn't have to worry about him and Trudy. Even if they weren't pretending to be married, she knew Trudy was not Marshall's type. It did make her start re-evaluate her own relationship with Marshall though. **

**They had always been close and she had always known they were closer than most partners and even best friends. She had always avoided trying to think about what her true feelings for him were. She knew she cared deeply for him, she would even admit that she loved him but what she was never sure of was if it was enough to risk losing him. She had always thought the phrase 'it's better to have loved and lost then never to have love at all' was a load of rubbish. The threat that she could miss up so badly and end up losing Marshall was always too much of a risk so she settled for friendship. She knew that he struggled with his own feelings for her but didn't realize how much until she had gotten in engaged. During his toast during the engagement party at the office, when he said he loved her, she had actually be disappointed that he continued instead putting his true feelings out there.**

**If she was honest, the reason she had agreed to him driving her for the first three hours when she was leaving Albuquerque was because she hadn't been ready to say goodbye to him. Her brain told her it was the safest thing for him to stay away from her but she had planned to use those three hours to get used to it. She should have known that he would have felt the same about losing her and would put up a fight. **

**Maybe now that they didn't have to think about their jobs and their actions in the last few months had proven how much they cared for each other, maybe it was time they had a conversation about what they really wanted from each other. **

"**I mean, how hard is to find someone who is capable enough for the job…" Nicole sighed and Mary snapped back to the conversation. **

"**I'm sorry…what was that?" Mary looked to her. "You said something about a job?" **

"**Yeah, my boyfriend Billy…He's looking for someone to help down at the youth center." She repeated. "I know it doesn't pay a lot of money but you would have thought it would interest someone…"**

"**What does this job entail?" **

"**Organizing and supervising actives for the kids…things like that." Nicole shrugged. "Why? Do you know someone?" **

**Mary grinned. "Marshall."**

"**Your husband?"**

"**Yeah, he's been looking for a new career and he is great with kids." Mary told her. "Plus, he's going crazy being out of work." **

"**You think he'll be interested?" **

"**I know he will be." Mary claimed it was definitely something she could picture Marshall doing. **

"**Well, Billy is meeting me from work…maybe they can talk then." **

"**Great." Mary grinned. "I'll tell him." **

**She walked around the counter, seeing Trudy re-entering the café. She ran a hand along the back of Marshall's shoulders to get his attention. He looked up at her in surprise at the affectionate touch.**

"**So, Nicole's boyfriend is trying to fill a vacancy at the local youth center." She told him. "Figured it might be something that would interest you." **

"**The youth center?" He repeated, thinking it over. "Well, it's no law enforcement but I guess it couldn't hurt to find out more about it." **

"**Great…He's meeting Nicole after work so you can ask him about it yourself." She leaned down and kissed his cheek before returning to the counter, leaving him trying not to look to perplex at his 'wife's' actions. **

**When Billy arrived, he was happy to sit down with Marshall and discuss the job. They got on really well and the more Marshall heard about the job, the more he could see himself enjoying it. Billy seemed to like him too and Marshall was feeling pretty good about it all. He told Billy that he used to be in web design, since he had actually took a course in it back in Albuquerque but was now looking to do something different. When Billy asked why the sudden change in careers as well as moving to a new state, Marshall claimed that 10 months ago he had been in a car accident. He said that almost dying gave him a new lease of life. This way, he had an excuse for his injured arm which was still healing. **

"**Nic and I are going to for a drink once she's done here, why don't you and Mary join us?" Billy asked. **

**Marshall first instinct was to refuse the offer but he was still concerned that people would become suspicious of them if they spent all their time at the house. **

"**I'll have check and make sure Mary doesn't have anything planned but yeah, that sounds good." Marshall agreed with a smile. **

**When the girls finished, Marshall was stood putting his jacket on when Mary approached him and before he could mention going out with Nicole and Billy, she pressed her lips against his. He blinked a few times in surprise when she pulled back, her hand on his face with her thumb stroking his cheek softly. **

"**What's going on?" He whispered, looking over her shoulder to see the other couple paying no attention to them while they talked to Lily but he noticed Trudy rolling her eyes.**

"**Just playing the role of a doting wife…" She murmured, looping her arms around his neck. "So, Red over there doesn't get any ideas and try something with you." **

**Marshall glanced back at Trudy but she looked away quickly. "You want to put on a show?" **

"**Just making sure she knows you're not available." **

"**We were invited out for a drink." He told her, winding is own arms around her waist and wondered how long she would carry on playing this game. "Be rude to turn them down…" **

"**I could do with a drink." She surprised him again. **

"**You love birds coming or not?" Nicole called over to them. **

**Mary pulled away from him but took hold of his hand. "Yeah, we're coming." **

"**Oh, if it comes up, I used to be a web designer who had a life changing experience after almost dying in a car accident 10 months ago." Marshall told her as walked towards the others.**

**She looked up at him but knew better than to question it. "Okay…" **

**Trudy invited herself along with them and Mary refused to leave Marshall's side for a minute. Marshall was pretty sure the other woman knew that she was getting under Mary's skin and was intentionally pushing her buttons. There was a small part of his brain that told him, as her best friend and partner, he shouldn't be letting this happen but there was a bigger part of him that enjoyed the attention…the feel of her hand in his and the comfort of her weight as she leaned against him. He knew it was all part of the game and that he shouldn't be allowing himself to get so caught up in it all but he couldn't help himself. **

**They stayed longer then they first planned, Mary complaining that Marshall had left the car back at the house. He reminded her that he had been bored and at the time, the hour walk into town was potentially going to be the most exciting part of his day. Nicole and Billy seemed amused, listening to their banter and when it was time to leave, offered to drive them back to the house. **

**Mary didn't know how she did it but she managed to keep her cool when Trudy tried to sat between the two of them in the back of Billy's car but Mary was too quick for her, slipping in beside Marshall. Marshall was actually relieved when they finally pulled up outside their house. The whole ride up, Mary had her head resting against his shoulder and a hand lightly running dangerously up and down his thigh. He knew they probably needed to have a conversation about where the line was because if her hand went any hirer, he was pretty sure he wouldn't remember what the line even looked like. **

"**You know you don't need to do all that right?" Marshall told her, as she pulled him towards the front door. "That even if Trudy did try something, I would never go there…"**

"**Just shut up…" She unlocked the door and opened it but then turned and put her hands behind his neck, pulling him down to her. **

**He couldn't stop himself from returning the kiss as she pulled into the house. It wasn't until the door was closed and he found himself pushed against it that he realized what was happening. **

**He broke the kiss. "They can't see us now."**

"**That kiss wasn't for them." She stated then kissed him again. **

**He moaned quietly when he felt her hands sliding up the back of his shirt. He pulled away again.**

"**Mary…." He started as her lips moved to his neck. **

**He reached down and caught hold of her arms, forcing them out from under his shirt. He then turned them and stepped back, still keeping her at arm's length. "We can't, Mare…"**

"**Why not?" She asked confused. "I thought you wanted to…."**

**He sighed, letting go of her. "We just shouldn't complicate things...I'm sorry."**

**He had only taken a few steps down the hall away from when he was surprise to hear a small laugh. Not being able to resist, he looked back questionable at her. **

"**I've lost the job I love and now serve coffee...I'm on the run because my life is in danger, I've probably broken the heart of the man I promised to marry but I'm actually relieved to have gotten out of that….Who knows what kind of trouble my mother and sister will get up to without me there…." She listed. "The only thing in my life that is not one big complicated mess is my feelings for you…" **

**He stared at her in shock, unsure how to reply. **

"**You've always been there for me, Marshall…no matter what and you know I am there for you…You're more than a partner…more than a friend." She stated. "We have a new life now….Why are we still wasting time still fighting how we feel?" **

**Marshall answered with taking a few long strides forward, one hand going to her cheek and his other arm wrapping around her waist, holding her tight to him as he kissed her deeply….**

"Daddy!"

Marshall caught Hannah as she threw herself at him. He swung her up, wincing a little as pain shot through his arm as he held her tightly to his chest.

"This is Stan and Eleanor….They're friends of mine and mommy…" Marshall said softly. "Can you say hi?"

"No." She buried her face into his neck to hide.

"She's a little shy." He explained to them, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"She's adorable." Eleanor told him with a smile.

Marshall couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, she's great…"

"I can't believe you two have a child." Stan commented. "We have a lot to catch up to do."

"I'm going to meet Mary now…Why don't you come with us?" Marshall suggested. "I know Mary is dying to see you. "

Stan glanced at Eleanor but knew she wouldn't have a problem with it. All thoughts of returning work for the rest of the day vanished. "We would love to."

"Great."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Princess?" He leaned back a little look down at her.

"I built a sandcastle."

He looked over the sandbox where she had pointed. "That's great …Good job! High-five!"

Hannah giggled as she hit palms with her father. "Can we get ice cream like we did after building sandcastle at the beach?"

"You're just like your mother." He chuckled lightly and glanced over at Stan and Eleanor. "Do you mind we make a stop on the way?"

"I could go for a little ice cream myself." Eleanor smiled.

"Great." He looked back to Hannah. "Do you think we should buy Mommy some ice cream too?"

"Mama likes ice cream." Hannah nodded her agreement.

"Okay, well let's get out of here." He started to walk towards the parking lot.

"It suits you." Stan said.

Marshall glanced across at him, frowning a little. "What does?"

"Fatherhood." His old boss answered. "It really suits you."

Marshall just smiled in reply and hugged Hannah a little tighter.

_**XxXxX**_

"Can we talk?"

Mary had escaped to the kitchen to have a few minutes to herself but Raph had followed her.

"I don't know what more you want me to say…" She sighed. "I'm sorry about how our relationship ended but I'm married now…."

"You were meant to marry me."

"Raph…"

"Tell me you didn't love me…" He challenged as he moved closer to her. "Tell me it was him you wanted all along…"

"It was complicated at the time…" Mary took a step back but found herself against the counter. "He was my best friend…the only person I truly trusted…"

"And what about me?"

"I cared about you, Raph…And I did love you in some way but everything I've been through made me realize I didn't love you enough…not like I should have."

"I don't believe you." He shook his head.

"I'm sorry but that's not my problem." She shrugged a little. "I've moved on…I'm with the right man now."

"I spent the last four years, wondering and worrying about you." He told her. "Not once did I give up on you…on us."

"Raph, we're over…You need to accept that." She went to move past him but he blocked her way. "Raph, get out the way…"

"What did I do wrong, Mary?" He asked. "I would have given you the world…"

"Look, I'm sorry I hurt you…I really am but you need to back off." She told him. "If I truly loved you, I wouldn't have found it so easy to walk away from you and have no contact with you for four years."

"But…"

"It's been two hours since I've seen Marshall and I know exactly where he is but all I want is for him to be here." She continued, laying a hand on her pregnant stomach. "We're in the middle of this silly little argument about the sex of this child…He says it's another girl…I say it's a boy but that's purely based on the fact that I want it to be a boy…I want to have his son…I want to have a mini Marshall…"

Raph just stared at her in disbelief.

"Did you ever imagine I was a capable of not only feeling those things but actually admitting them?" Mary asked him. "Because I'll tell you…I never did."

"I think she told you to get out of her way."

Raph spun around and Mary looked over and smiled when she saw Marshall stood in the doorway.

"Hey…" She moved past Raph and this time he let her go. "Where's Hannah?"

"With Stan in the other room." Marshall answered but he was still glaring at Raph.

"You got her to leave your side?" Mary asked in surprised.

Marshall looked down at her when Raph turned and walked over the to the kitchen table, sitting down with his back to them.

"He brought her an ice-cream…gave her the money to pay herself and let her keep the change." He explained, handing her a bag with the ice cream they got for her. "He said, he used to bribe you the same way and figured it might work with your daughter too."

"You know, I would be insulted but I'll forgive you just because of this." She held up the bag.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, his eyes flicking towards Raph.

"I'm fine." She gave him a small smile. "Come on, I want to see Stan."

He followed her out of the kitchen and as soon as they stepped into the other room, they just their families and Hannah was stood with Eleanor; Stan nowhere in sight

"Mama…up."

Mary was surprised that their daughter wanted her but decided not to question it.

"Did you have fun at the park with Daddy?" She asked with a groan as she lifted her up.

"Uh-huh." She nodded then leaned in to whisper something to her.

Marshall was smiling as he watched them but then couldn't help but feel nervous when Mary turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, unsure. "What did she just tell you?"

"She said your arm was hurting." Mary replied and Marshall sighed.

It had never fully recovered from the shooting and every now and then it was painful, especially if he had been using it a lot. All the travelling and carrying Hannah around had caused it to flare up again. Marshall knew that Mary still felt guilty about it so whenever it was hurting, she would start worrying and fussing; Hannah had seemed to have picked up on it to.

"You little tattletale." Marshall teased Hannah, tickling her, causing her to giggled and squirmed closer to Mary.

"What's wrong with your arm?" His mom asked in concern.

"Nothing…just an old injury...its fine." He answered then looked at Mary and repeated it. "It's fine."

"If you say so…" She replied, not convinced but decided to let it go for now. "Eleanor, it's good to see you."

The other woman smiled. "You too…I'm so glad you're both okay….Stan will be right back…He just had to step out to take a phone call."

"Why don't we all sit down?" Andy suggested. "We want to know what exactly our little brother has been up."

Marshall smiled a little at his brother. He couldn't help but feel lucky. He knew his mom was hurt and confused about their disappearance but at least his dad and brothers seemed to understand. He could tell that Brandi and Jinx were still upset and angry about it all.

Before they could take a seat, Stan returned but stopped when saw Mary.

"Hey, Stan…" She smiled softly.

"Look at you…" He said. "You're…you've got…"

"If you finish that sentence with 'fat' I'm not going to responsible for my actions." She warned, jokingly as she put Hannah down on the floor.

"You didn't think to mention this?" Stan asked Marshall, who just shrugged.

"Thought it would be more fun to leave it as a surprise."

Stan rolled his eyes before walking over to Mary and giving her a hug.

"I really happy for you, kiddo." He said quietly after he pulled away.

Mary glanced across at Marshall. "Yeah, me too."

"Okay, come on…" Rob said. "Tell us what you guys been up to..."

"Yeah…" Brandi added; deciding to follow Marshall's brothers' approach. She had spent the last four years missing her sister… she didn't want to waste time now she was back. "We heard you guys went to France."

Mary groaned and Marshall grinned. "Ha! Told you that plan would work…Pay up!"

"What?" Mary looked at him, innocently.

"You bet me ten dollars." He stated, holding out his hand. "Did you think I would forget?"

"Fine." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" He complained, when she reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"Remember, what mine is yours and what yours is mine now, sweetheart." She smiled sweetly as she took the money out and handed it to him.

"Yeah, this isn't fair…" He said, taking the money and his wallet back.

"So, you didn't go to France?" Brandi asked, with a frown.

"No, Squish...We never left the US."

"Just another lie they told." Jinx said bitterly.

"What about you, little miss…" Rob decided to move on quickly and crouched down in front of Hannah. "We haven't met yet…but I'm Daddy's brother."

Hannah stared at him for a few seconds before looking up at Marshall, unsure. Marshall smiled reassuringly at her but was happy she didn't back away from Rob.

"He's your Uncle Rob and that's your uncle Andy…" Marshall told her and then pointed to Brandi. "And Aunty Brandi…She's Mama's sister."

Brandi crossed the room to her, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Hannah."

Hannah smiled at them but then quickly turned, hiding her face in Marshall's legs causing them to laugh quietly.

"You excited about becoming a big sister?" Brandi asked and both Mary and Marshall groaned, knowing what their daughter's reaction would be but Brandi didn't notice and carried on. "Do you want a baby brother or baby sister?"

Hannah looked back at her and frowned. "No baby!"

Brandi glanced up at Marshall confused after hearing him sigh.

"There are a few small issues…." He explained.

"Oh come on, bet you'll love being a big sister." Rob smiled at her. "You'll have someone to play with and you'll have so much fun…"

"No baby!" Hannah exclaimed again. "Baby go away! No baby!"

"Sorry, it's been a long day…" Marshall said. "She's tired…."

"Maybe we should put her down for a nap..." Mary suggested.

"She can go in my room." Brandi offered and held out her hand. "Come on, Hannah…How about I take you?"

"No! Daddy!"

"I'll read you the best story…" Brandi added.

"Daddy!" This time she turned to face Marshall, not waiting for him to pick her up and tried to pull herself up on his clothes. "Daddy! I want Daddy!"

"Okay, okay…" Marshall said softly, rocking her gently as she cried. He looked at Brandi apolitically. "I'm sorry, she's not really used to a lot of people…and there's been a lot of change lately…"

"It's okay." Brandi assured him. "I understand…She's only little… Go on, you can still put her in my room."

He smiled again. "Thanks."

"Is she okay?" Colleen asked Mary once Marshall had walked down the hall towards the bedrooms; they could still hear Hannah crying.

"She will be." Mary sighed, sitting down on the couch with a groan. "We're having a few problems with getting her used to the idea of the baby…For the last few months, every time the baby is mentioned she gets upset and only wants Marshall."

"I'm sure she'll grow out of it." Stan said. "I bet once they're here, she'll be fine."

"Yeah, I hope."

Mary spent the next 30 minutes answering their questions but trying not to reveal too much about where they had been and what they had been up. Half way through, Raph had entered the room but stayed by the door in silence. She was relieved when Marshall finally returned.

"She asleep?"

"Yeah…" He sighed, he sat beside Mary. "It took a while…but she settled down eventually."

"I wouldn't worry too much…Its pretty normal." Colleen tried to assure them. "Your brothers acted up when you were first born."

"I remember when they tried to send you away." Seth added.

"Oh yeah…I forgot about that." Rob said.

"Colleen had gone out for a few hours and left me to look after the boys…" Seth started to explain. "Marshall would have only been a two or three weeks old at the time and these two were about six and four….They was playing and Marshall was sleeping so I thought I would read the newspaper…I should have realized that they were too quiet."

"I came home early because I wasn't used to being away from the baby…" Colleen picked up. "I got back and found Marshall outside the front door in his pram, fast asleep covered in stamps."

Marshall glared at his brothers as the others in the room laughed.

"We were trying to send you to Nana and Grandpa…" Andy said a little sheepishly.

"Yeah, we figured it would be the best place…they seemed to like you when they visited." Rob added.

There was a knock at the door but they all carried on talking when Raph moved to answer it.

"We eventually came around to the idea of having a little brother." Andy said.

"Well, well, well…Isn't this nice."

Both Mary and Marshall jumped up from the couch at the sound of Robert O'Conner's voice. Marshall positioned himself so he was in front of Mary as well as the hall which led to Brandi's room.

"What are you doing here, O'Conner?" Stan asked, moving to Marshall's side.

"Just some unfinished business." He stated, as his team entered the house as well. "I got a call saying you were back in town…"

"Raph?" Brandi looked over at him, suspiciously.

"He told us to call him if we ever heard from them…." He answered.

"Yeah, I was actually on my way here after he told me they had seen you in Maine…I never thought you would be dumb enough to return here."

"Look, I don't know who the hell you are…" Seth walked towards him and O'Conner pulled out his badge.

"FBI."

"What do you want?" Brandi asked. "We haven't done anything…"

O'Conner smirked. "I highly doubt that's true."

Movement from by the front door caught O'Conner's eye; he and the other agents, quickly drew their weapons.

"Oh look, we're late for the party." Nathan grinned. "Hey, Marshall…How's it going?"

"Just great…" Marshall replied sarcastically but he had never been more relieved to see his friend. "Nice of you to show up."

"Any time, buddy…" Nathan walked fully into the room, with a few of his own agents behind him.

"Who are you?" O'Conner demanded.

"Ah, that's not important." Nathan waved his hand dismissively. "Where's Hannah?"

"Sleeping in the bedroom."

"Go get her."

"He's not going anywhere…" O'Conner cut in, grabbing Marshall's arm to stop him.

Unfortunately, it was Marshall's injured but he managed to resist crying out in pain and instead shoved O'Conner backwards. Nathan quickly stepped between the two men.

"Agent O'Conner, I would think very wisely about your next move…" Nathan advised.

"What the hell is going on?" Colleen asked. "Who are you all? What do you want?"

"I'm here to apprehend a criminal." O'Conner explained and then looked over to Mary. "I guess being on the run, runs in the family, doesn't it Shannon?"

"Marshall, go get Hannah…." Nathan said again.

"I told you, he's not going anywhere." O'Conner stated, indicating for two of his agents to stop Marshall. "This is my investigation you're interfering with and I suggest you back off before you get yourself arrested."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "What investigation? All you have is a grudge against Mary and her family….and I suggest _you _back before you find yourself in something you cannot handle."

"I don't react well to threats."

"Look, this isn't getting us anywhere…" Stan stepped in. "O'Conner, you have nothing that you can charge Mary with… She witnessed a crime and with the agreement of the FBI, left the state to protect herself…"

"Who said I was here after her?" He smirked again.

"Then what the hell do you want?" Mary glared at him.

He smiled at her before turn to face Marshall. "Marshall Mann, I'm arresting you for the murder…

"What?!" Mary exclaimed.

"Have you lost your mind?" Nathan asked him.

"You're kidding me?" Marshall stared at him.

"For the murder of special Agent Marcus Lewis…" He raised his voice to be heard as two of the other agents took hold of Marshall and handcuffed him, roughly…This time he did cry out in pain.

"No!" Mary moved towards him. "No, you can't do this…"

"Don't do this, O'Conner." Nathan told him. "You have no idea what you're getting involved in…"

"Until you're ready to tell me just who you are and why you think you're so important, I don't think I'll take advice from you." O'Conner replied and looked over at Marshall. "Get him out of here…"

"No! Marshall…" Mary tried to follow him but was stopped.

"Nathan…stay with her." Marshall ordered, as he dragged out the house.

"Don't worry…we'll fix this." Nathan told him.

O'Conner looked at Mary again. "He's going down for this…I'll make sure of it."

Both Stan and Nathan grabbed hold of her when she tried to launch at him as he walked away.

"Mary, it's okay…" Nathan said. "We'll get him out…I promise."

**TBC**

**A nice long chapter ending with a cliffhanger! Sorry, couldn't resist. Been a long time since I've stayed up will 6am to finish a chapter but couldn't stop writing! Please review and let me know what you think! **


	17. Cupcake Wars

**Hey, thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so glad I surprised you all with the cliffhanger. Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. Please keep the feedback coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**Cupcake Wars**

"Raph, what have you done?" Brandi whispered eyes wide as she stared at her friend who looked just as shocked at what happened as everyone else.

"He said Mary was in trouble…that he would help her." He tried to explain and made the mistake of stepping closer to his ex-fiancée. "I was looking out for you…If Marshall killed a man…"

He didn't get the finish his sentence before the palm of Mary's hand connected hard with his cheek.

"Mary!" Nathan pulled her back when he saw her making another move towards Raph. "Don't. He's not worth it."

She struggled for a few seconds but then her energy drained away. "Oh god…Marshall…"

"It's okay." Nathan told her, keeping an arm around her purely because he didn't think she would stay on her feet otherwise. He looked over to the door where members of his team were standing waiting for orders. "Find out where they've taken him and get down there…Then make sure you don't let him out of your sight."

"Yes, boss." One of them nodded, pulling out his cell phone to get to work.

"I mean it….I don't want Marshall left alone with anyone but one of you."

"They're going to kill him…" Mary whispered, panicking and again tried to get out of Nathan's arm.

"What is going on?" Colleen asked. "Marshall would never murder someone…"

"It's just a mistake." Nathan said calmly. "We'll have it sorted in no time."

"He needs a lawyer." Brandi suddenly announced, reaching behind her to grab Peter's arm. "Call your lawyer…the good one…the one that helped me."

"Oh…Of course." Peter immediately started to search for his cell phone.

"It's fine…He doesn't need a lawyer." Nathan held up a hand to stop him. "As soon as I get things straight here, then I'll go down there."

"And what?" Mary turned to face him. "Be his lawyer? Break him out? What? What will you do?"

"Mary…"

"No! I've had my life and my children's lives in your hands for too long now and I don't know who the hell you are!" She snapped. "For all I know, you're behind this…Maybe you're all in on this."

"You're just upset…" Stan said calmly.

"Of course I'm upset!" She threw her hands in the air.

"Okay, Mary, I know both Marshall and I have been vague on our past but I promise you, that I'm on your side." Nathan told her. "I owe Marshall more than I can ever repay him…That's why I'm doing this."

Mary stared at him for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not to believe him. She had always doubted him but that was due to lack of information. Marshall had always assured her that they could trust Nathan and she knew he would never ever do anything to put her or the kids in danger. Even if he had a smallest doubt about Nathan, he wouldn't allow him near them.

"I'm ex-army…afterwards I did some work for the FBI…That's where I met Marcus and Marshall." He explained. "There was this case and at the time Marshall was working with the fugitive task force out of Kansas office…Afterwards we kept in touch."

Mary nodded a little, the story sounding familiar. "Marshall told me that once."

"Well, now I run my own security firm…We offer protection to politicians to celebrities mainly." He continued, guiding Mary over to the couch and forcing her to sit downside him. "We also work overseas which is a little more dangerous… We sometimes go into warzones."

"I don't understand what all that has to do with Marshall." Mary rubbed her eyes; hoping to ward of the headache that was starting.

"A few years back…I pissed off some people…I ran an operation to retrieve some hostages being held in Syria but I was concerned my family was put in danger." He stated. "Marshall had just gotten out of a relationship and was considering a career change or at least transferring out of Kanas…So, I asked him if he would stay with my family…keep them safe….He took a few weeks' vacation to do it."

"That's why you feel you owe him?" Mary asked. "Because he took care of your family."

"A bomb was planted in my house…He saved my wife and kids and took them into hiding until it was all over." Nathan told her. "Afterwards, he went back to Kanas for a few months then he transferred here."

Mary glanced over at Stan, both of them knowing that was probably the reason he considered joining wit-sec the first place.

"The thing is, Mary I asked him to do whatever was necessary to keep my family safe and he promised that he would stay with them until it was all over….He made me promise the same thing about you and Hannah."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not leaving here until I know you're safe." He stated. "I've got some more of guys arriving for some added protection and it's up to you whether you stay here or we move you to a new location."

"What about Marshall?" Mary asked. "You said you would get him out!"

"I will but not until I know you'll be okay…and that includes you not getting yourself all worked up and end up going into premature labor." He claimed and then smiled a little. "Because if Marshall cannot be there with you then I have a feeling that part of our pact would involve me being there and trust me, you don't want me there…"

"Nathan…"

"Do you want to stay here?" He asked, turning the conversation serious again.

Mary sighed, knowing that if she stayed then it would mean staying with hers and Marshall's family but if she decide to go somewhere else, she would to wake Hannah up, which could cause more problems if she reacted badly to Marshall's absence. Also it meant that Nathan would spend more time dealing with that rather than getting Marshall free.

"I'll stay."

"Right, I'm going to make some calls." Nathan squeezed her shoulder and stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Mary, I'm sorry." Brandi took his vacated seat beside her. "I never thought any of this would happen…"

"I'm going to sit with Hannah…If she wakes up alone, she'll freak." Mary stated, standing up.

"Mary, please…"

"Please what?" She asked. "What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to us." Andy requested quietly from the other side of the room.

"Talk to you about what? About how I risk everything to come back here so you lot would leave us alone?" She threw her hands up in the air. "How all the fears I had for the past four years have come true?"

"You're safe, Mary." Seth told her firmly. "None of us are going to let anything happen to you or Hannah."

"And what about Marshall?"

"He'll to fine to." Nathan rejoined them. "There's two cars with three guys in each outside…Do you want them in here with you?"

"No, it's too cramped in here as it is."

"Right, well here's my card…You call me if you need anything or there is anything you're unhappy with, okay?" Nathan handed it to her and then handed some out to the others in the room.

"Just make sure you get my husband back here in piece."

"Look, O'Conner is a douche bag who is just doing this to get revenge for what went down with you a few years ago…"

"Oh that makes me feel so much better…" She replied sarcastically.

"But…" He cut in to continue. "I really don't think he's involved in the corruption case…Even those who managed to get away with, aren't stupid enough to try anything now…O'Conner has nothing on Marshall except that he was Marcus' friend."

"How was he allowed to go ahead with all with no evidence?" Colleen asked.

"He's been working under the radar…I've already made a few calls to my contacts in the FBI…Don't worry, it'll be over soon." He gave her a small smile.

"Well, just do it quickly." Mary added.

"Just one more thing…" Nathan said when he saw Mary turning to leave. "His arm? He was in pain after O'Conner grabbed him."

"Yeah, it was from the injury four years ago…" Mary sighed. "He never got it checked out properly and every now and then he struggles with it."

Nathan nodded thoughtfully. "Well, we get him to the doctors once this is over with."

"Good luck with that." Mary muttered, knowing Marshall was worse than her when it came to getting checked out.

"Remember to call me if you need anything." Nathan reminded her as he walked towards the door.

"Yeah…"

"What do we do now?" Brandi asked, after a few seconds of silence.

"How about I run to the store and get us something for dinner." Peter offered. "I'm sure Hannah is going to be hungry when she wakes up…Is there anything special I can get for her, Mary?"

Mary started to shake her head but then had an idea. "Actually, there is…I'll make you a list."

Brandi followed her out to the kitchen and watched over her shoulder as she wrote down everything she wanted, frowning a little.

"That looks like ingredients for baking?" She commented once Mary had handed her the list.

"It'll give Hannah something to do until Marshall gets back." Mary shrugged a little.

"Yeah but since when do you bake anything?"

Mary smiled a little bit at the memory of the night Marshall had tried to teach her how to bake cupcakes….

_**Marshall had woken up alone and was surprised to see that it was almost 1am. He sighed and forced himself to his feet. He had gone to bed over two hours ago and Mary said she would be right up after she finished cleaning the mess she had made in the kitchen. It had been four weeks since their relationship had changed and everyday Marshall had to pinch himself to prove that this was real. **_

_**As he expected he found her in the kitchen, surrounded by even more mess then before. **_

"_**Mare…." He stared at the tray of burnt cupcakes on the counter. "What the hell happened?" **_

_**She spun around to face him and he almost laughed when he saw her covered in flour. "This stupid cupcake recipe is wrong…"**_

_**He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "Just leave it come to bed…"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Mary, its 1am…" He caught hold of her hand and tried to pull her to him. "Bed." **_

"_**I got to do this…"**_

"_**Why is it so important?" He asked. She had come home from work with a plan to make some cupcakes. Marshall had been surprised since she wasn't one for baking but left her to it after she insisted on making them by herself. **_

"_**Because Trudy is bringing some in to be sold tomorrow." She poured away some suspicious looking lumpy mixture. **_

"_**So?" He moved closer to her again. "Why are you being so competitive with her still?" **_

"_**Because she think she's so perfect…She gets the most tips and she makes the best coffees...She can even pour the milk to make leaves and hearts on top of her damn lattes!" She ranted. "She's not making the best the cupcakes too!" **_

_**He sighed again, knowing this was more about not being the best at her job anymore. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Come to bed…" **_

"_**Marshall…" She tried to pull away from him but he didn't let her. **_

"_**I promise you a much better time…" He placed a few soft kisses on the side of her neck. "And I guarantee it's something you're better at then Trudy." **_

_**She groaned quietly before turning his arms, circling hers around his neck. Just as he leaned down to press his lips to hers, she pulled back. **_

"_**You have to show me how to make cupcakes." **_

"_**Mare, come on…its 1am!" He reminded her again. **_

"_**Please, Marshall…"**_

"_**What makes you think I even know how to make cupcakes?" **_

"_**Because you're Marshall." **_

"_**Do you promise to come to bed if this batch turns out right or not?" He asked. **_

"_**Yes." **_

"_**Okay, fine…" He sighed. "I can't believe I'm baking cupcakes at 1am."**_

"_**Yeah, this is our life now…" She said dryly. **_

_**Marshall looked around the kitchen. "I don't know where the start…what the hell did you do, Mare? Go to war with the ingredients?" **_

"_**I got annoyed." She answered, glaring a little at him. **_

_**He moved some things off the counter, picking up a carton of milk and examining it. "Ah, here's your problem…" **_

"_**What?" **_

"_**This expired yesterday." He poured it down the sink. **_

"_**Son of a bitch…" She couldn't believe she hadn't thought to check that.**_

_**He rolled his eyes. "Okay, new plan...We'll cleaning up and then we're starting from the beginning." **_

"_**Whatever you say Martha." **_

_**It took almost 30 minutes for them wash everything and get the counters clean. Marshall was surprised that there were still enough ingredients left over to make some more. **_

"_**Right, first we sift the flour…"**_

"_**Why?" Mary watched him. "Does it really matter?" **_

"_**Yes." He answered, eyeing the bowl of flour she handed him. "Did you weigh this out?" **_

"_**I don't need to; I've done it enough times tonight to know how much is needed." **_

_**He shook his head a little. "I'm starting to see why it hasn't gone right for you…"**_

"_**Shut up." She flicked some flour at him. **_

"_**Hey!" **_

_**She rolled her eyes, watching him pouring the flour onto the scales. "It's fine…" **_

"_**Yeah, that's why you're over by almost half." He said sarcastically. **_

"_**So what? Just means more cupcakes."**_

"_**Only if you're going to increase rest of the ingredients as well…"**_

"_**Maybe I was." **_

_**He raised an eyebrow but decided to move on. "Why don't you sift the flour and I'll beat the eggs into the milk." **_

"_**Okay." She did as he said while he moved over the fridge.**_

"_**The trick here is to use milk that is still in date." He teased as he pulled a new carton out. **_

_**She glared at him but didn't say anything.**_

"_**Can you pass me three eggs, please?" He asked holding out one hand while pouring the milk into a measuring jug with the other. **_

"_**Sure." She picked up an egg and placed it in his hand with so much force that it broke. She smiled when he looked up at her in surprise. "That's for the milk jab…" **_

"_**You know, I'm doing you a favor here, right?" **_

"_**Oh please, you're just trying to get me into bed." **_

_**He opened his mouth to reply but realized he couldn't really argue. "True." **_

"_**Here." She handed him three more eggs, this time more carefully. **_

_**After measuring all the ingredients correctly, he left her to mix it while he started put away any of the stuff they didn't need any more. After a few minutes, he rejoined her, standing behind her; one arm going around her waist and the other covering her hand on the wooden spoon.**_

"_**What are you doing?" She asked but couldn't help but lean back against him. **_

"_**Helping." He claimed and tightened his arm around her as if he was worried she would move away. **_

_**Mary wondered what she would have done if Raphael had tried this a few months back. For one, she wouldn't have been baking to begin with but she had never been overly affection with boyfriends before. Maybe it was because how everything that had happened….Marshall and her were already close…being affection was probably the only way they could get closer. **_

"_**Mare? You okay?" **_

"_**Yeah, I'm fine…" She looked down and realized they had stopped stirring. **_

"_**Well, I think this is just about done." He claimed, letting go of her hand to dip a finger in the mixture and brought it to her lip. "Try it?" **_

_**She sucked his finger into her mouth, moaning a little at the taste…it was ten times better than her four previous attempts. **_

"_**I take it that means it good?" He laughed.**_

_**Instead of replying, she turned to face him and kissed him deeply. When she pulled back, she ran her thumb across his cheek where he had a dusting of flour. "You know I love you, right?" **_

_**His eyes widened a little. It was the first time she had said out loud. She had hinted about it but wouldn't actually say the words. A grin slowly spread across his face. **_

"_**You're just saying that because I helped you bake cupcakes at 1am." He teased, lightening the mood for her. **_

_**She smirked. "Maybe I'm saying it just to get you into the bed."**_

"_**Hey, I'm up for that…" He jokingly started to pull her towards the door. **_

"_**Marshall, the cakes!" She laughed, pulling free from him. **_

"_**Right." He sighed dramatically. **_

"_**How long should I put these in the oven for?" She asked, spooning the mixture into the cupcake cases. **_

"_**For about 25 minutes…" He said around a yawn.**_

"_**Okay…" She placed the tray in the oven, setting the timer and turned to face him. "Let's clean up and then we'll can decorate them." **_

"_**I'll wash, you dry." He handed her a dish towel. **_

_**After they were finished, they collapsed onto the couch. The late night starting to catch up on both of them. **_

"_**How long until they're done?" Mary asked, lying down. **_

"_**About 10 minutes…" Marshall mumbled, his head leaning against the back of the couch as he pulled Mary's feet into his lap. **_

"_**Don't let me fall asleep, okay?" **_

"_**Hmmm." **_

_**The next thing Mary knew, she was woken up by movement behind her. **_

"_**The cakes…" She started to get up but Marshall was now between her and the back of the couch, his arm around her stopping her from moving. **_

"_**They're out and cooling…" He assured her. "Go back to sleep." **_

"_**Okay, a quick nap then we finish them." She moved closer to him. **_

"_**M'kay…" He replied, although he had no intention of waking up again anytime soon. "Hey, Mare?" **_

"_**What?" She mumbled into his t-shirt. **_

"_**Just in case you didn't know…I love you too." **_

"_**I do know." **_

_**He smiled, pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head before closing his eyes and drifting back off to sleep.**_

"It's something I do…" Mary told Brandi. "At lot about me has changed."

"I'm sorry we screwed everything up for you, Mare." Brandi told her, almost tearfully.

Mary sighed. "What's done is done now…I know you wouldn't have wanted to cause trouble for us."

"I just missed you." Her sister continued. "I wanted to show you how much _I've _changed…I wanted you to be proud of me."

"As long as you're happy and staying out of trouble then I'm proud of you…"

"Peter asked me to marry him." She said suddenly.

"What?"

"About two months ago."

"You're engaged?"

"No."

"No?" Mary repeated. "You said no?"

"I asked him if he would wait…until we found you." She informed her. "So you could be there when we got married."

"Brandi…" Mary started but trailed off, a little surprised at the new information and suddenly feeling guilty. "You shouldn't have done that…if the past four years has proven anything, it's that you don't need me…You shouldn't have put your life on hold."

"You're my sister, Mary." She claimed. "And my relationship with Peter is probably the only thing that I've ever gotten right…after everything you done for me, you deserve to be a part of it."

"So, you're not mad at me then?" Mary asked. "For leaving?"

"I have been made…I've been scared and worried too." Brandi told her. "But now I'm mainly relieved that you're here and sorry for putting you all in danger."

"I don't know what is going to happen next…" Mary felt the need to warn her sister in case she was getting her hopes up. "I don't know how safe it is for us to be here….I don't know where we're going next or if and when we'll see you again."

"You've got to do right by your family and keep them safe…" Brandi said sadly but understandingly. "I get that."

"I did miss you though, Squish…" She finally admitted. "But I had to leave…I was trying to keep everyone safe."

She nodded. "I'm glad you had Marshall with you."

"Me too." Mary smiled a little.

"Maybe I could help you and Hannah with the baking when she wakes up?" Brandi suggested a little timidly. "Get to know her a little bit before you go."

Mary wasn't sure how her daughter would react to that but decided to deal with that when it came to it. "Yeah, I'd like that, Squish."

**TBC**

**I don't know how believable Nathan's story was but that's what fiction is for. Please review and let me know what you think! **


	18. Handcuffs and Grudges

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot. Please keep them coming. **

**Enjoy!**

**To the End of the Earth**

**Handcuffs and Grudges **

It didn't take long for Nathan to be shown to the room where Marshall was being held, making him feel a little better about the whole thing, his calls to his contacts had obviously worked or he wouldn't have gotten past the front disk. There was also a small part of him that feared Marshall wouldn't be there, that someone would have taken the opportunity to settle the score.

He saw one of his team, Tony standing guard outside the door and waited until the FBI agent who had shown him through had walked away before speaking.

"So, have they spoken to him yet?" Nathan asked. "Has anything been said?"

"No, as soon as we got here, we made it clear that he wouldn't be speaking to anyone until he had his lawyer present."

"Good…"

"But there is a small thing…"

Nathan narrowed his a little. "How small?"

"They think he's a cop killer…"

"Tony…"

"He got roughed up a bit…"

"What do you mean a bit?!"

"Black eye, split lip…and probably some bruised ribs…"

"Jesus, Tony!"

"It happened before we got here." He claimed. "We've made sure one of us has been with him ever since."

Nathan sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Where O'Conner?"

"He went off somewhere." Tony shrugged. "Said to let him know when you got here."

"Get him." Nathan told him. "Tell him, he better get down here fast or Marshall and I are walking out…"

Tony paused for a second. "Can you do that?"

"If he messes me around, then you just watch me." He answered before pushing open the interview room door.

Once inside, he nodded to Lucas, his other agent, telling him to leave. He silently moved across the room and took a seat across the table from Marshall.

"You doing okay?"

Marshall lifted his head and glared at his friend.

"Okay, stupid question." Nathan held up his hands in defense. "What happened?"

"They think that I killed their buddy…Trying to get even, I guess." Marshall winced a little as he shifted in his chair. "Can you see someone about getting these cuffs off me?"

"Surprised you don't know a magic trick to free yourself." Nathan commented he stood up, moving around the table and pulled a pocketknife out.

"You know O'Conner is going to pretty pissed at you, right?" Marshall said as Nathan began at picking the lock. "He's a control freak and won't like you coming in messing with his case."

"He'll have to deal with it." Nathan replied, stepping back and removing the cuffs.

"Thanks." Marshall rubbed his wrists but Nathan could see he was struggling to move his right arm. "You could have just asked someone to un-cuff me, though."

"I like to cause trouble when I can." He smirked before retaking his seat. "What do you think O'Conner is up to? You think he was a part of the corruption?"

"No." Marshall shook his head. "I think he's nuts and probably on his last chance as far as his career goes but I don't think he's corrupt."

"So, you think this about Mary and getting even over what happened with her sister?"

"Only thing I can think of…I could see him trying to prove he was right all along…that Mary was guilty of whatever he thinks she's guilty of." Marshall told him. "Maybe he thinks that it will help his career if he can prove it."

"Anything I need to know about what happened before he gets here?"

"Like what?"

"Like what really happened?" Nathan asked. "I've read the notes…I know that there was supposedly some coke that meant missing…"

"Mary did nothing wrong." Marshall said defensively. "Let's get that straight, right now."

"I believe you." Nathan assured him. "But what about Brandi?"

Marshall sighed. "That's where things get tricky."

"So you think she was involved in the drugs deal?"

"Her boyfriend was…there's no doubting that but Brandi is easily influence…I think, if she did have some involvement, she changed her mind." Marshall claimed. "She did the right thing by calling the police…even if it was anonymously."

"And what happened to the drugs?"

"No idea." Marshall shrugged. "And to be honest, I don't think Brandi has a clue either."

"They couldn't have just vanished…"

"Well, they did but this all old news…There is no way O'Conner can bring that up now without becoming a laughing stock and getting ridiculed by everyone in the FBI…Also from what I've seen, Brandi has sorted herself out…kept herself out of trouble."

"So, if it's not that…then what?"

"Could be just revenge…Messing with us because he can?" Marshall suggested. "Or he actually thinks I did it."

"Hmmm…" Was Nathan's reply as he thought about it all.

"You know I didn't, right?"

"Didn't want?" He asked, looking back to Marshall.

"Kill him." Marshall claimed. "You know it wasn't me that killed Marcus."

Nathan stared at him for a few seconds. "Of course I know you didn't, idiot."

"Just checking…"

"I know exactly where you were when it happened and I also know that someone was arrested and found guilty of his murder because of pretty damning evidence." Nathan started. "Which makes me wonder how O'Conner has been allowed to get this far with his little theory…?"

"Because he has an ulterior motive…"

"And even if I didn't know all that, I know you wouldn't have killed Marcus." Nathan continued. "I know you guys were good friends…"

Marshall sighed quietly, guilt creeping over him…He couldn't help feel responsible for Marcus' death…he had died protecting him. He thought back to the day they had found out about it. Nathan had turned up personally to tell them the news and it was first time and only time until today that Mary had met Nathan…..

_**Mary hummed as she moved around the kitchen, tiding up as she prepared dinner. She had worked the morning shift at the café and finished at 3pm while Marshall didn't get home until about 6pm which meant she had another twenty minutes. She wondered what her Stan, Eleanor and her family would say if they saw her now. She never cooked while she was at home and while she wasn't the best chef, she was slowly starting to master certain dishes. Then there was her relationship with Marshall. They had slipped easily into their relationship and while they had only become husband and wife as part of their story but Mary now considered their marriage real…even if they had only been officially together for a few months. She missed her family and Stan and while working in the café wasn't actually her ideal job, she did enjoy it. If they got told they could go back to their old lives, she wasn't sure if she would want to. It was the first time in her life that she enjoyed all aspects of her life. She liked her job. She loved her house. She loved her man. They had a good life together and it was something she didn't want to give up. **_

_**She was surprised when she heard the doorbell, hesitating before moving out of the kitchen and down the hall. Living so far from the town meant that they rarely got surprised visitors. She checked the peephole and didn't recognize the guy on the other side. Sliding the security chain on, she opened the door slightly.**_

"_**Yes?" **_

"_**Hi…I'm looking for Marshall….I'm a friend."**_

"_**I know all his friends." Mary replied. **_

_**The guy smiled. "You must be Mary."**_

_**She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?" **_

"_**I was in the area and thought I'd drop by." **_

"_**Right…" Mary said slowly, unconvinced. "Well, he's not here right now…"**_

"_**Well, if you don't mind, I'll wait…" **_

_**Mary just looked at him for a few seconds, wondering what the best thing to do was. Marshall was due home any minute and while she didn't trust this guy, she didn't want Marshall to turn up to find him hanging around outside. **_

"_**Okay, hold on a minute…" Mary closed the door, reaching into the desk draw and pulled her gun. She tucked into the back of her jeans before removing the chain and re-opening the door. "Come in."**_

_**He smiled at her but then the second he stepped over the threshold, she whipped the gun out and pointed it at him. **_

"_**Well, I should have seen that coming…" He commented, holding up his hands." **_

_**She reached into the draw again and pulled out a pair of cuffs this time. "Put these on."**_

"_**I'm not here to hurt you…" He told her but did as she said. **_

"_**Whatever." She replied and when he had clicked the cuffs on, she took his arm and pulled him roughly to the living room; pushing him down onto the couch. "Don't move." **_

"_**Wouldn't dream of it." **_

_**Mary gave him another glare before stepping back a little, pulling her cell phone out while keeping the gun trained on his back. **_

"_**Hey, Mare…" Marshall answered after a few rings.**_

"_**Hey, how long you going to be?" She asked quietly. **_

"_**About ten minutes…What's up?"**_

"_**We have company…"**_

"_**What?" **_

"_**Some guy has turned up…He's cuffed on the couch but I don't know if he's alone or not." **_

"_**Are you okay?" **_

"_**I'll be better when you get here…" She told him. **_

"_**I'll be as quick as I can…" **_

"_**Be quicker." She said, before hanging up.**_

_**She moved across to the window and closed the curtains before peeking out of them to check the surrounding area but all she could see was trees. Sighing, she moved away again, pressing her back against the wall where she could keep an eye on their guest. **_

_**Marshall arrived within five minutes of the phone call, entering the room with his own gun drawn. **_

"_**Mare, are you okay?" He asked.**_

"_**I'm fine." **_

"_**Hey, buddy…Finally got to meet your girl…She seems nice." **_

"_**Nathan?" Marshall lowered his gun slightly as his friend turned his head to look at him. **_

"_**You're Nathan?!" Mary stepped away from the wall. **_

"_**Nice to meet you." He smirked. **_

"_**Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" She demanded as Marshall un-cuffed him. **_

"_**You didn't actually ask who I was…" He shrugged.**_

"_**What are you doing here?" Marshall questioned. **_

"_**I have news." **_

"_**Good news?" Mary wondered, moving to Marshall's side.**_

"_**Some good…Some bad." **_

_**Mary and Marshall looked at each other before back to him.**_

"_**What happened?" Marshall asked. **_

"_**Why don't you guys take a seat and I'll tell you." **_

_**Marshall took Mary's hand and pulled her over to the armchair, waiting until she was sat down before taking a seat on the arm of the chair, not once letting go of her hand. **_

"_**Okay, so go on…" Marshall said once they were settled. **_

"_**There have been a lot of arrests over the last couple days….So far there have been about 43 from all across law enforcement as well as some major players in the drug world." Nathan told them. "There are probably going to be a lot more but it's bound to break on the news in the next couple of hours…I wanted to give you guys a heads-up." **_

"_**What does that mean for us?" Mary questioned. **_

"_**Well, the men that were at the house when Jacob Kyle was murdered were the first to be arrested…It didn't take them long to start talking, admitting to the murder but also giving names." Nathan told them. "So, it's pretty unlikely that you'll be needed to give evidence…" **_

"_**So, it's over?" Marshall looked at Mary quickly. **_

"_**There is still a long way to go as far as the investigation goes but all the people that were a direct threat to you are behind bars." He claimed. **_

"_**We're safe to go back to Albuquerque?" Mary asked.**_

"_**Possible…" **_

"_**Nathan." Marshall gave him a look. "Just tell us." **_

"_**From all accounts, the people after you are pretty small fry in all of these…the higher players…the ones that are still out there would be crazy if they tried to come after you…and there is no reason for them to now since the only threat was you identifying Kyle's murders." He stated. "But you know how these things work… I cannot guarantee anything." **_

"_**Basically, what you're saying is that it probably won't ever be safe to go back?" Marshall predicted.**_

"_**In my opinion, it would be risky to go back to your old lives…" He said softly. "But that doesn't mean that sometime in the future you couldn't get in touch with your families." **_

_**Mary looked up at Marshall, wondering how he felt now that the last chance of going home and back to the job he was born to do was gone. She wondered whether she was going to be enough for him or if he would start regretting his decision now. **_

"_**Well, I guess nothing much is going to change…" He said, squeezing Mary's hand. "So, is that everything? If that's the bad news, then I guess we got off lightly considering." **_

"_**Actually, that wasn't it." **_

"_**I knew it." Mary muttered. **_

"_**The thing that started all this was Marcus." He started. "He began receiving threats because of his involvement in the case and also for information about your whereabouts." **_

"_**But he doesn't know where we were…" Mary cut in. **_

"_**I know but they obviously didn't….After a few weeks and a couple of attempts on his life, he was taken into protective custody." Nathan told them. "But he contacted me after a few days…he didn't feel safe…he had discovered several corrupt officers and agents so knew how serious this was getting." **_

_**Marshall opened to his mouth to ask what was so bad about that but even though it had been a long time since he last saw Nathan, he still knew him…he knew this was something more serious than Marcus going into witness protection. **_

"_**You didn't get to him in time?" He guessed. **_

_**Mary's head turned quickly towards him, her eyes widening. "What?" **_

"_**He was killed two days ago." Nathan said quietly. "I'm sorry…"**_

"_**God…" Marshall let go of her hand and rubbed his eyes. "God…no…" **_

"_**He was smart…set up surveillance and his murder was caught on camera." Nathan continued. **_

_**Mary sat forward a little so she could turn her body towards Marshall, rubbing her hands in circles on his leg, trying to comfort him. "I'm so sorry…" **_

_**He looked down at her with sad eyes, lowering one hand to squeeze her shoulder.**_

"_**I wanted to come tell you myself…I didn't want you to see it on the news." Nathan told him. **_

"_**I can't believe this…"**_

"_**He knew what he was doing so don't even think about feeling guilty, either of you." He continued. "He knew you would do the same for him if the role was reversed and there is no way he could just sit back and let them get away with this."**_

"_**Yeah…" Marshall agreed but didn't sound convinced.**_

"_**Look, I'll go… let you guys take all this in."**_

"_**Where are you going to go?" Marshall asked, standing up when Nathan did. "We've got a spare room if you need somewhere to stay." **_

"_**Nah, you guys need some space." He told them. "But I saw a bed and breakfast back in the town so I'll be around if you have any more questions or need anything."**_

"_**I'll give you a call tomorrow…." Marshall nodded a little, following him out of the room. "Maybe we can grab a drink or something…Raise a glass to Marcus." **_

"_**Yeah, that's a plan." Nathan shook his hand before heading for the door. **_

_**When Marshall returned, Mary crossed over to him and hugged him. **_

"_**I'm sorry…" She whispered. "I know Marcus was a good friend…" **_

"_**Yeah, he was…" He sighed, holding her tightly. "So, are you ready?" **_

"_**Ready for what?" She pulled back a little to look up at him. **_

"_**For the rest of our life?" He cupped her cheek gently. **_

_**She stared up into his eyes and again began to contemplate their life. It was so different to just a few months back and she couldn't help but think it shouldn't be working, they shouldn't be happy…but they it was and they were. She realized for the first time that she could live without being a marshal but she couldn't imagine retuning to how things used to be. She couldn't live without his arms around her during the night…his soft kisses in the morning… the normal, easy routine they had where they passed items and ingredients to each other wordlessly as they prepared breakfast and coffee…the text messages they sent each other throughout the day, with still the same banter and wit they had back in New Mexico….the conversations over dinner about their day, filling each other in on what they missed…never going to bed feeling lonely or scared…but then she thought about him…about the life, the family, the legacy he left behind… It seemed like he had given up more than her…**_

"_**I am." She whispered. "Are you?" **_

_**He smiled and pressed his lips against her forehead. "You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this…" **_

_**She instantly relaxed into his arms, taking comfort in the sound of his heartbeat**_

"So, Mr. Mann, are you ready to talk now?" O'Conner entering the room snapped him back to reality. "Or do you not go by Mann anymore?"

"I'm a man of many identities…" Marshall replied.

O'Conner stared at him for a few second before deciding not to rise to the bait. He looked to his left at the other agent. "I thought he was cuffed…"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." Nathan pulled the handcuffs from his pocket and dropped them on the table. "Been a while since I had to pick a lock…I couldn't resist."

"I didn't catch your name earlier…" O'Conner glared at him. "Who are you again?"

"I didn't give you my name earlier but I bet if you answered the calls you were getting from you bosses then you would know who I am."

"Can we get this over with…my head is banging." Marshall cut in.

"Yeah about that…" Nathan looked from back to O'Conner. "What happened between the house and here? And don't tell me he tripped."

O'Conner looked Marshall up and down, frowning a little, making Nathan wonder whether he hadn't noticed the bruising before now. "I'll look into that…

"Make sure you do." Nathan sat down beside Marshall.

"Right, where have you been for the past four years?" O'Conner took his own seat opposite them.

"He's not answering that." Nathan said.

"I don't think you realize the seriousness of this situation…This is a murder investigation."

"Yeah, one that was solved three years ago." Nathan rolled his eyes. "What is it that you really want, O'Conner?"

"I want to know how where you been and who you've been with."

"Not information you need to know." Nathan claimed.

"It is if they were helped by a wanted fugitive."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

Marshall let out a laugh. "He's talking about Mary's Dad…"

"James Shannon is on the FBI most wanted listed…"

"Okay, we're done here." Nathan cut him off and stood up. "Come on, Marshall."

"You cannot just walk out of here!" O'Conner jumped to his feet to block them. "He is under arrest."

"Well, I suggest you release him and stop wasting all our time."

"You really think I would go to him for help?" Marshall asked him. "You think after everything he did to Mary I would let him anywhere near her?"

"Oh how sweet…" O'Conner replied sarcastically.

"I come from a family of marshals…do you not think if I needed to turn to anyone it would be them?" Marshall continued.

"Look, you disappear for over four years without a trace just like someone else…"

"Release him, O'Conner…now!" Nathan insisted.

"Sir…" The other FBI agent spoke for the first time. "Maybe you should…."

O'Conner looked at him for a few second, his jaw clenched tightly. "I'm not done with this…"

"Yes you are." Nathan replied as O'Conner stormed from the room.

"I'll get the paperwork together to get you out of here." The agent said.

Marshall sighed in relief when the door closed behind him. "I don't know how to thank you…"

"Oh please, it's been a while since I had to play lawyer…It was fun."

Marshall smiled a little. "You know, I owe more than I could ever repay…"

"Hey, we've been through this, remember? You saved my family's lives…there is nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"I think we're pretty even now."

"Let's wait until this is all over before you say that." Nathan claimed and then changed the conversation. "Once we're done here, I want a doctor to check you over."

"I'm fine…just a few bruising."

"And your arm?"

"That's nothing…"

"You were shot and had the bullet removed in some dingy hotel….It needs to be check out."

He sighed. "Just get me home to Mary and Hannah then we'll discuss it."

"Fine, have it your way." Nathan held up his hands. "But Mary is on my side on this."

"Yeah, I could have guessed that." He muttered.

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	19. Baking Bonds and Real Blessings

**Hey, thank you for all the review. Please keep them coming. **

**Enjoy! **

**To The End of the Earth **

**Baking Bonds and Real Blessings **

When Hannah began to shift, Mary instantly woke up, brushing her daughter's hair back as her eyes opened.

"Hey…"

"Mama." Hannah cuddled up closer to her and sighed contently.

Mary smiled, dropping a kiss on top of her head and just enjoyed the peaceful moment, knowing it might not last long when Hannah realized Marshall wasn't there.

"Daddy?" Hannah asked but didn't move out from the crook of Mary's neck.

"He'll be back soon." Mary told her, rubbing small circles on her back and was relieved when Hannah just snuggled closer to her. It wasn't for another couple of minutes before Hannah sat up and scooted away. "What's wrong?"

"Baby hit me!" She glared at Mary's stomach.

"He's just moving around." Mary assured her as she sat up.

"No baby."

Mary sighed. "Come on, how about we make some cupcakes for when Daddy gets home?"

Hannah's eyes lit up and forgot all about the baby, holding her arms up to Mary to be lifted. Mary got to her feet and picked Hannah up with a groan. "You're getting a big girl…"

"Daddy's girl." Hannah corrected, wrapping her arms around Mary's neck.

"Yeah, yeah…I know you're a Daddy's girl." Mary laughed lightly.

"Yep." Hannah sighed quietly.

As they walked down the hall, Mary realized that it was less noisy than before. When she entered the kitchen, she found just Brandi, Peter and Marshall's parents all sat around the table, talking quietly.

"Hey…" Colleen smiled at them. "You're awake."

"Yeah and ready to bake cupcakes, aren't we, Little Miss." Mary tried to shift her daughter so she was facing the others but Hannah refused and buried her face into her neck.

"Chocolate ones?" Hannah asked, despite her shyness.

"Of course." Mary replied.

"I got everything you need out ready." Brandi pointed to the counter.

"Thanks, Squish." Mary gave her a small smile. "Where did everyone go?"

"Stan had to get back to work and Andy and Rob have gone to sort out a hotel for us." Colleen answered her.

"We figured once Marshall gets back, you would like some space." Seth added.

Mary nodded a little. "And Raphael and Mom?"

"They went home." Brandi answered. "Mom was getting all worked up again, so I thought you wouldn't want to deal with that."

"Wait, so she doesn't live here?" Mary frowned.

"No, she moved out just over a year ago." Brandi told her. "She has a little apartment near the dance studio she's teaching at."

"Oh….wow."

"And Raph got his own place not long after Brandi and I moved in here officially." Peter said.

"You two are staying here?"

"Yeah, I wanted to be here in case you came back." Brandi shrugged a little.

"We've been paying money into an account since we didn't know how to pay rent to you." Peter added.

"Rent? What about the mortgage?"

"It's been paid off…"

"Paid off?" Mary repeated. "How?"

"You mean, you didn't pay it?" Peter frowned. "We got a letter a few months after you gone saying the house was paid in full."

"We assumed you sorted it before you left." Brandi claimed.

"Mama, cupcakes…" Hannah shifted in her arms, impatiently.

"Okay, sorry…." Mary sighed, setting her on the floor but took her hand and leading her over to the counter, deciding to speak to Stan later to see if he knew anything about her mortgage. "What do you say about Aunt Brandi helping us?"

Hannah glanced at Brandi before looking up at Mary. "Mama help me?"

"We'll both help." Mary told her and while Hannah didn't comment, she could tell her daughter wasn't sure about the whole thing.

"Here, Hannah…" Brandi pulled over a chair. "You can stand on here so you can reach the counter."

Again, Hannah looked at her silently but then climbed onto the chair, gripping onto Mary's arm as she helped her to stand.

"Okay, what's first?" Mary asked Hannah.

"Umm…scales?" Hannah pointed.

Mary smiled and pulled the weighing scales towards them. "Your father has taught you well."

Hannah just grinned up at her and waited to be told what to do.

"Well, we need some flour, right?" Brandi picked up the bag.

"Tell Aunt Brandi when to stop pouring." Mary said to Hannah, knowing that even at two years old, she gotten good with the numbers after baking almost every week.

Hannah hunched down next to the scales and watched closely as Brandi poured slowly, watching as Hannah waited.

"Stop." Hannah said then stood up straight and moving back a little so Mary to see the amount.

"Good job." Mary praised and handed her the sieve.

Hannah held it over an empty bowl and then surprised both sisters when she looked at Brandi. "You got to flour into bowl."

"Oh, of course." Brandi grinned at Mary before doing as instructed.

"Mama, it looks like its snowing." Hannah giggled.

"You say that every time, Little Miss." Mary replied, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "Let me grab some eggs out the fridge, I'll be right back."

"Okay." Hannah said but she didn't take her eyes off the flour.

"She's adorable." Colleen joined Mary by the fridge. "I do hope we get chance to see her grow up."

"Colleen…" Seth started, warningly.

"It's okay." Mary glanced at him before back to the older woman. "We're going to try our best to stay in touch."

"Really?" Colleen's eyes widened a little and reached out to grip Mary's arm.

"Sure…" She shrugged. "But I'm not promising anything…We need to do what's safe for the kids."

"Of course, of course." Colleen nodded, understandingly. "But that would be just wonderful."

Mary smiled a little. "Yeah, it would be nice."

"Oh, you could have a wedding…" Colleen suggested.

"Honey, you're getting ahead of yourself." Seth told her. "Just take it down a notch."

"So, how does all that work?" Peter questioned. "Are you guys actually married?"

"We have a marriage certificate for Mr. and Mrs. Hunter." Mary answered, placing the eggs on the counter and was glad to see Hannah was happy to let Brandi help her.

"You didn't have a wedding?" Colleen asked.

Mary smiled a little. "We kinda did…"

"What does that mean?" Seth questioned.

"After Nathan had told us about Marcus and all the arrests, we decided to move again…so, we can start over one last time." Mary explained. "We stopped off in Vermont for a few days...there was this church and for some reason we decided to go in…"

"_**This is a beautiful building…" Mary commented quietly as she looked around the empty church. **_

_**Marshall smiled and squeezed her hand. "It really is." **_

_**Mary pulled him down the aisle and took a seat in the second pew. "It's just so peaceful and quiet…"**_

"_**I never realized this kind of thing interest you…" **_

"_**It doesn't really…" She shrugged. "But one of my nicest memories was going to mass with my grandparents when I was a kid." **_

"_**I remember my brothers used to always complain about going on Sunday mornings and I used to copy just so I could be like them but I never really minded going." **_

_**She leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's a shame…"**_

_**"What?" **_

"_**That we never had a real wedding." **_

_**He looked down at her in surprise. "You wanted all that? The white dress? Flowers?"**_

"_**No, not all that…nothing fancy but I guess, a church wedding would have been nice." She told him. "Something small…something meaningful...I never really gave it much thought before…figures, I would realize I wanted it after I couldn't have it." **_

"_**We could do that." He told her. "When we get settled…We could have a wedding." **_

"_**Who would we invite?" She looked up at him. "And it's not like we could use our real names…" **_

"_**We can find away." **_

_**She reached up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you but its okay… A bit of paper doesn't really matter as long as we know what our relationship is." **_

"_**It's not the way imagined being married but you're right." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "We don't need all that…" **_

"_**Oh, I'm sorry…" A voice from behind, startled them both. "Don't mind me…" **_

_**They turned around and saw an older man, who obviously was a priest, walking towards them.**_

"_**Sorry, father…We saw how beautiful this church was and just wanted to have a look." Marshall explained as they stood up. **_

"_**Please, don't let me disturb you…" He smiled warmly at them. "I'm Father Tom, I'm the priest here…I haven't seen you here before…Are you local?" **_

"_**We're just visiting the area." Mary told him as they took their seats.  
**_

"_**Ah, well everyone is always welcome here." He said. "Are you on vacation or here for business?" **_

_**Marshall glanced down at Mary, getting an idea. "Actually we're on our honeymoon…we're doing some travelling all over the country." **_

_**Mary looked at him quickly but didn't comment. Marshall reached down and squeezed her hand. He might not be able to give her the wedding she had never knew she wanted but they could make their time in Vermont a honeymoon. **_

"_**Oh, how lovely." **_

"_**I actually wished we did live in this area…This church would have be perfect for the wedding." Mary added, deciding to play along. **_

"_**Well, thank you very much…I've lived here almost my whole life…This place means a lot to me." He smiled again. "If you don't mind me asking, did you have a church wedding?" **_

"_**Unfortunately, we didn't…Our families wasn't around and we have been travelling a lot, so we thought it would be easy to have a small service just the two of us."**_

"_**Well, you could always have a vow renewal if a religious ceremony was something you wanted." He suggested. **_

_**Marshall looked to Mary again, wondering whether it was something she would want to do in the future. **_

"_**I could always bless your marriage now." Father Tom offered. **_

"_**Really? You can do that?" **_

_**He laughed. "Of course, I can….It would be an honor." **_

"_**What do you think?" Mary turned to Marshall. **_

"_**I think I want to marry you all over again." He grinned. **_

"_**Okay, let's do this." Mary looked back to the Priest. **_

"_**Well, let's start with names." **_

"_**Marshall Mann." Marshall told him before Mary could speak. Even though it wasn't an official wedding, he wanted to get married to Mary under his real name. **_

_**Mary squeezed his hand supportively before speaking herself. "Mary Shannon." **_

"_**Well, Marshall, Mary it's nice to meet you both." He shook their hands then gestured to the alter. "Shall we?" **_

"_**We really appreciate this, father." Marshall claimed as they followed him. "It means a lot." **_

"_**I'm always happy to help." He replied. "Now, **__**my dear friends, let us turn to the Lord and pray that he will bless with his grace this woman, Mary now married in Christ to this man Marshall and that through the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, he will unite in love the couple he has joined in this holy bond."**_

_**Marshall grinned widely at Mary who was stood opposite him, their hands clasped together. She smiled and shook her a little; unable to believe what they were doing and how right it felt to be doing it. **_

"_**May her husband put his trust in her and recognize that she is his equal and the heir with him to the life of grace. May he always honor her and love her as Christ loves his bride, the Church." He continued and then paused. "Mary, is there anything you would like to say2"**_

_**Her eyes widened a little in surprise, her brain racing to try and find the right words. **_

"_**I'm not very good at all the flowery wording…" She swallowed a little. "But I hope you know how important you are to me…You're my best friend…A better friend then I probably deserve but I'm not letting you go…I'm going to try and be a better person for you…to you…because I love you and trust you and need you more than I ever thought was possible." **_

_**Marshall blinked a few times when he felt tears stinging his eyes. **_

"_**Marshall, would you like to say something." Father Tom asked. **_

"_**Mare, you're my whole world….You have been all this time." He squeezed her hands. "We have this connection that I've never had with anyone…We make the best team ever…when we're together we're unstoppable which is why I want to spend the rest of my life by your side, every step of the way…no matter what." **_

"_**Father, keep them always true to your commandments. Keep them faithful in marriage and let them be living examples of Christian life." Father Tom said, placing one hand on top of their joined. "Give them the strength which comes from the gospel so that they may be witnesses of Christ to others. Bless them with children and help them to be good parents. May they live to see their children's children…and, after a happy old age, grant them fullness of life with the saints in the kingdom of heaven….We ask this through Christ our Lord…Amen."**_

"_**Amen," Marshall repeated, making sure to keep looking Mary right in the eye. **_

"_**Amen…" She whispered, staring right back. **_

_**Father Tom stepped back and smiled at them. "Well, you may kiss your wife…" **_

_**Marshall didn't hesitate; he stepped closer, placing one arm around her waist and the used to the other hand to cup her cheek before kissing her softly. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers; his eyes closed. "I love you…" **_

"_**I love you too…" She replied and waited another few seconds, just enjoying the feeling of his arms around her before she pulled away and turned towards Father Tom. "Thank you so much for doing...How can we repay you?" **_

"_**Oh, please…It's nice to see a couple so in love." He assured them. **_

"_**But we could make a donation to the church, right?" Marshall asked. "As a thank you." **_

"_**Well, I never say no to a donation…" **_

_**Marshall immediately reached for his wallet and took out all he had. **_

"_**This very generous of you," Father Tom commented, seeing there was almost two hundred dollars.  
**_

"_**It's the least we can do." Marshall told him. "Thank you, so much." **_

_**He shook Marshall's hand before Mary's. "Please, do not hesitate in coming back any time." **_

"_**Oh we will if we are ever in the area again." Marshall told him.**_

"_**Well, I wish you both happiness and a safe journey, where ever it may take you." **_

_**Marshall threaded his fingers through Mary's as they walked towards the door, hand in hand. **_

"_**Did that really just happen?" Mary asked once they were outside. "Did we just get married?" **_

"_**I think we did…" Marshall spun her around to face him. "Are you okay with that?" **_

"_**Did you not hear what I just said in there?" She jerked her thumb back to the church.**_

"_**I meant every word I said." He needlessly assured her. **_

"_**I know." She smiled a little. "I did to."**_

"Oh….as much as I would have loved to have been there, it sounded beautiful." Colleen claimed.

"It was and although it wasn't official, it meant a lot to the both of us." Mary stated. "It's was perfect."

"Mama, look…" Hannah cut in causing Mary to look over and see that they had finished the cupcakes' mixture without her and they were ready to go in the oven.

"They look amazing." Mary rejoined them. "I bet they're going to taste delicious."

"What color frosting do you want to decorate them with?" Brandi asked, as she slid the cupcakes into the oven. "I've got pink or purple?"

"Umm…" Hannah even put her finger to her lip as she thought about but Mary already knew what the answer was going to be. "Both."

"Never give her the choice…" Mary advised her sister. "She will always choose both."

"Well, it's lucky that both pink and purple are my favorite colors." Brandi grinned at her niece. "We can do both."

"Yay."

20 minutes past and Mary had left Brandi to help Hannah make the frosting, happy to see them forming some kind of bond but hoped it was something that could be continued in the future. Hannah may not remember much about her time in Albuquerque if they had to leave but Mary was pretty sure it would break Brandi's heart.

"This means a lot to her, you know." Peter said softly in the hallway when Mary was on her way back from the bathroom. "Spending time with Hannah."

"I know it does." Mary replied. "And if I could have been in touch with her over the last few years, I would have but it wasn't safe…not for us and not for you guys either."

"Brandi understands that…She might not have shown it but she's just missed you and is worried she'll lose you again."

"We're going to try our hardest not to let that happen but…"

"But you have to do what's best for everyone." Peter smiled understandingly.

"Thank you for being here for her…" Mary said. "She told me about the engagement…Congratulations."

"It's not official yet, though." Peter replied. "But she makes me happy and I want to spend my life with her."

"I'm happy for you guys." Mary smiled. "I'm glad you have each other."

"And you and Marshall are great together."

"Aren't you and Raphael buddies?"

Peter shrugged a little. "Yeah but doesn't mean I can't happy for you guys."

"You're a good man, Peter."

"I know." He replied with a smirked.

Mary rolled her eyes. "We better get back in there before they send out a search party."

"What were you two up to?" Brandi asked when she noticed them walking back into the kitchen together.

"Just catching up." Mary answered, moving over to Hannah who was spooning pink frosting on top of the purple frosted cupcake.

"These cakes are looking good, girls." Peter commented.

"I hope you've made one for me."

Hannah spun around on the chair and jumped down before Mary had chance to help her. "Daddy!"

"Hey…." He swung her up into his arms. "How's my princess?"

"We made cupcakes!"

"And they look so pretty…" Marshall commented.

"Daddy hurt?" She frowned, noticing his bruised face and then turned in his arms to look at Mary. "Mama Daddy hurt."

"I can see…" Mary tried to keep calm as she moved closer to him. "What happened?"

"It's nothing…" He assured her. "I just trip."

Mary didn't believe but knew she wouldn't get a straight answer with Hannah there.

"Silly Daddy." Hannah sighed then hugged him tightly. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"The baby is naughty…"

"Um, what?" He glanced at Mary quickly before down to her.

"It hit me." She pouted.

"Oh princess, I'm sure she was just trying to say hello."

"It mean." Hannah declared causing everyone in the room to laugh lightly.

"You okay?" Marshall looked over his daughter's head to his wife.

"Just been wondering what's going on…." She said questioningly.

"Don't worry. O'Conner was working on his own agenda again." Nathan told her. "I spoke with some of the higher ups in the FBI and they've assured me they'll rein him in."

"Doesn't really tell me much." Mary replied.

"Hey, princess, why don't you go and finish your cupcakes?" Marshall set Hannah down, knowing that Mary wouldn't be letting this conversation go any time soon.

"Will you come help me?" She looked up at him.

"Of course…I'll be right there; I just want to talk to mommy about something."

"Hannah, what kind of sprinkles do you want to use? Chocolate or rainbow ones?" Brandi held them both up for her. "Or do you want to use both?"

"Both!"

Marshall smiled as she ran back over the counter and Brandi helped her back onto the chair. He turned and gestured to the hallway; Mary, Nathan and Seth all followed him out.

"Okay, first thing first…Are you really okay?" Mary reached up to touch his cut lip.

"It's nothing, just a few bruising." He took hold of her hand and moved his head out of her reach. "Honestly, Mare…I've had worse."

"Yeah, don't I know it..." She sighed.

"How exactly did this happen?" Seth questioned. "You were in FBI custody."

"Apparently, some of them had already decided I was guilty."

"I've already made an official complaint on his behalf." Nathan added.

"So, they thought you really did kill Marcus?" Mary frowned, folding her arms.

Marshall ran a hand through his hair. "No, O'Conner was using it as an excuse to take me in."

"What was the real reason then?"

"He thought we had some help in disappearing…"

"You mean other than 007, here?" Mary pointed to Nathan.

"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment." He grinned at her.

Mary glared at him slightly before looking back to her husband. "Marshall?"

"He thought we might be in contact with your Dad."

Mary stared at him, her mouth opened a little.

"We set him straight…" Nathan told her.

"Is he insane?" Mary asked.

"Possible." Marshall placed a hand on her shoulder. "But don't worry about it; it's over and done with…"

"Is it?" She questioned. "Do you think he'll drop it?"

"He'll have to." Nathan stated.

"Look, it's been a long day and it's getting late…How about we get takeout instead of cooking something for dinner?" Seth suggested. "My treat."

"That sounds great, Dad." Marshall replied gratefully. "Thanks."

"I'll go see what everyone wants." He said, heading back into the kitchen.

"Look, do you guys want me to hang around for a bit?" Nathan asked. "Make sure O'Conner doesn't try anything else?"

"Nah, you've done enough already." Marshall shook his head.

"Okay, if you're sure, I'll head to the hotel and be back in the morning."

"Thanks, Nathan…"

"I may not have decided if I like you or not yet but thank you for getting him out of there." Mary said to him.

Nathan smirked and looked at Marshall. "You picked a good one…"

"I know." Marshall couldn't but help grinned.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Are we ordering food or not?"

"Yes, dear…"

**TBC**

**Okay, I'm not too sure about this chapter. I don't know if a priest would just do a blessing like that but it seems like something they might…for this story, let's say they do. **

**Anywho, please review! **


	20. Mortgages and Babies

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad you all liked their wedding. This chapter is a little longer, I hope you like it! Please review and let me know!**

**Enjoy! **

**To the End of the Earth**

**Mortgages and Babies**

Mary wasn't surprised that now Marshall had returned, Hannah wasn't interested in the cupcakes or anything else other than him. She knew that Marshall tried to get their daughter to interact with others but it just wasn't working. There were times when she felt a little jealous, normally when Hannah was upset and there was nothing she could to do console her other than hand her over to Marshall but mostly she loved their relationship. She couldn't explain or describe the feeling she got when she watched them together.

Her first pregnancy hadn't been planned and she had been far from happy with the news. Although Marshall had told her he would support her no matter what, she could tell he really wanted a child. She had agreed to it for him but as time went on she had come around to the idea herself. She could not imagine her life without Hannah and loved her more then she thought she was possible but what had made it so easy was she knew Marshall was going to be there every step of the way. She knew that he would never abandon his children and would always put their needs before his own. She also knew that if anything happened to her, her kids would be just fine with him….It wasn't really until today that she begun to wonder what she would do if something happened to Marshall…There was no way she could cope with being a single mother to one child, let alone to two.

She realized there was no way she could fill the hole that Marshall would leave as she watched Hannah insisting that Marshall sat at the table during dinner and was the one to help her with her food. She listened to Hannah's happy giggles as her husband somehow managed to get their daughter to eat the vegetables that she seemed to hate every time someone else tried to put them on her plate.

"Mare?"

Mary jumped when Marshall placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her in concern. "You okay?"

She saw that everyone else was watching them curiously and tried to smile. "Sorry, just got lost in thought for a moment…I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah…" She picked up her cutlery and started to eat. "Your food is going cold…"

She knew Marshall didn't buy that there was nothing wrong but before he could probe any further Hannah shook his arm. Marshall hesitated but decided to drop it for now, knowing his wife wouldn't tell him anything while everyone else was there. He turned his attention back to Hannah and continued to cut up her food.

"So, do you have any plans for what you're going to do next?" Colleen asked.

"I don't know, we haven't had chance to discuss it yet." Marshall replied, glancing at Mary. "We should probably sit down with Nathan and Stan…Find out what they suggest."

Mary nodded her agreement. "Yeah, there are some things I want to ask them myself."

"Like what?" Marshall questioned in surprise.

"About this house." She told him. "The mortgage is still in my name and has been paid off."

"Ah."

"Ah?" Mary repeated. "What do you mean, ah?"

"Nothing…"

"Marshall, what do you know about it?"

"Look, it's no big deal." He sighed. "Not long after we left, I asked Nathan to sell my house."

"You did what?"

"Mare, I knew there was a big chance that we wouldn't be able to come back here so asked Nathan to handle the sale." He explained. "We were starting a new life…We needed money."

She stared at him, in total surprise. "And you didn't think to tell me any of this?"

"To be honest, you were too busy trying to ditch me and then I got injured…" He shrugged. "You knew that I asked Nathan to transfer my savings…that included the sale from the house."

"Well, what's that got to do with this house?"

He sighed, knowing she was not going to be happy with his answer. "I got more than I was expecting for my house and I also got Nathan to sell some of my stuff…After paying him back what we borrowed, I asked him to use the rest to pay off your mortgage."

"You did what?!"

"Mare, can we talk about this later?" He glanced down at Hannah and was happy to see she was too busy concentrating on using her fork.

"So, you own this house?" Brandi asked him.

"No, Mary does." He corrected. "It's all still in her name."

"But it was your money." Mary pointed out.

"Technically, it hasn't been just my money for four years now…" Marshall started to say but then stopped when he saw the look his wife was giving him.

"Daddy, I'm thirsty…."

"Oh, here you go, honey…" Brandi reached over and picked up a jug of water from the middle of the table and went to pour it into Hannah's plastic cup.

"No!" Hannah snatched the cup off the table. "Daddy does it."

Marshall sighed. "Hannah, come on, don't be rude."

"Dada!" She pushed her cup into his hands.

"Aunt Brandi can help you…"

"NO!" She protested. "You! Dada!"

"Marshall, just pour the damn drink!" Mary cut in sharply, causing Marshall to turn to look at her again, in surprise.

"Daddy." Hannah said tearfully, climbing off her chair and onto his lap.

"Maybe we should change the subject." Colleen suggested, looking between the two of them. "Honey, you haven't told us what kind of work you've been doing since leaving the Marshal Service."

"He hasn't left." Mary claimed with her eyes on her dinner but all she was doing was pushing the food around on the plate. "Not officially."

Marshall frowned a little. "What's a matter with you tonight?"

"Maybe I'm just sick of all this…"

"Of what?"

"Of this double life…" She answered. "Of not being me anymore."

Marshall wasn't sure how to reply to that. He knew a lot of things had changed over the last four years but he thought she was happy.

Mary looked away when she caught his eye and focused on Hannah who was still crying quietly, clinging on to Marshall tightly.

"It's past her bedtime…You should put her to bed." Mary sighed, dropping her cutlery and running her hands over her face.

"I've set up the spare room for it." Brandi told them. "Peter's nephew sleeps in there when they visit…I hope its okay."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Marshall assured, managing to give her a small smile. "Thank you."

"If you want, I could always put her to bed." Brandi hesitated to ask.

Marshall was about to decline but changed his mind. He needed to talk to Mary and find out what was going through her head. He wondered whether it was the trouble they had been having with Hannah and her attachment to him.

"Princess, why don't you go with Aunt Brandi?" Marshall suggested, pulling back a little to look down at her.

"No!" She clung tighter to him, burying her face in his chest.

He ran a hand up and down her back, comfortingly "Come on, Little Miss…where's my big, brave girl?"

"No big girl…Daddy's girl." She protested. "Daddy's baby."

Marshall sighed, glancing at Mary but she was still avoiding his eye. Despite how much he wanted to talk to Mary and how concerned he was becoming about Hannah's behavior, he knew he could never hand her over to someone else when she was in this kind of state.

"It's Mom's old room." Brandi told him, knowing that there was no way Hannah would let go of him. "Everything should be ready."

"Thanks, Brandi." He said again as he stood up.

"I'm sure Hannah will grow out of this…" Colleen commented after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Yeah, sure…" Mary replied as she started to clear hers, Marshall's and Hannah's plates away.

"Mare, leave that." Brandi told her. "We'll clean up later."

"It's fine…I want to do it." Mary carried the plates over to the sink.

"Maybe you should just leave her…" Seth suggested quietly, placing a hand on Brandi's arm when she went to follower her sister.

"I'm sure they're both just tired and worried about what's going to happen next." Peter squeezed her hand. "I bet they'll feel better after a goodnights sleep."

"I guess, you're right." Brandi settled back down in her seat but kept a close eye on Mary.

Marshall didn't return until an hour later; Hannah had insisted on him staying with her and screamed every time he left. So, he had sat with her until he was sure she was asleep and did consider crawling into the bed with her, finding it hard to keep his own eyes open but he knew he had to talk to Mary even if she didn't want to have the conversation.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw that the table had been cleared but his parents, Brandi and Peter were still sat there while Mary was stood at the sink, washing dishes.

"Marshall, we're going to head back to the hotel." Seth stood up when he saw his son.

"Okay," Marshall nodded, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from his wife to look at his parents.

"We did offer to help but I think she wanted some space." Seth told him quietly, not wanting his son to believe they let his pregnant wife do all the work. "We'll come over in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah, I need to meet with Nathan at some point but maybe we could go out for lunch." He suggested. "There are some nice parks around here; we could put together a picnic…"

He trailed off when he heard Mary slamming some plates down on the counter so hard he was surprised they didn't break.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing…" She continued to do the dishes, not turning to look at him.

"It's obviously something…" He walked over to her. "I don't know what I've done to piss you off…"

"Just leave it, Marshall." She sighed.

"No." He took hold of her arm gently and forced her to face him. "Why am I the bad guy all of the sudden?"

"No, not the bad guy…Just the hero."

"What does that mean?!"

"Just forget it…" She went to move back to the sink but he wouldn't let her.

"Mary?"

"You just rush in and fix everything…" She snapped. "Is this really my life now? That I have to rely on you for everything?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "You don't rely on me for everything…"

"Oh no? I can't even look after my own daughter…"

"You know that is not true!"

"She is just two years old and she knows exactly what to do to push your buttons…She says a few words and you go running." She threw the dish cloth she had been holding onto the counter. "She doesn't need me because she gets everything she wants from you!"

Marshall stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking over the right words before speaking. "That's not fair and you're wrong."

"What happens if something happens to you?" She asked. "What happens if one day you don't come home? She will never ever get over it and I will never get over it….What happens then?"

"I'm not going anywhere." He assured her, his voice softening a little.

"You don't know that." She shook her head and then moved to push past him.

"Wait a minute…." Marshall tried to stop her again but she pulled her arm away.

"I knew this was a bad idea…" She muttered. "This was why I didn't want kids..."

Marshall could do nothing but stare after her in surprise. He had no idea if she meant what she said and if she did, how he was meant to fix it. He knew she had doubts about having a baby when they first found out she was pregnant but he thought they were past that...

_**Marshall glanced at the closed bathroom door curiously, wondering what was taking Mary so long. She had been acting strange for the last couple of days and he wondered whether she was unhappy in Maine. **_

_**After their impromptu one week 'honeymoon' in Vermont, they had travelled to Bath, Maine and settled down. They spent a week living in a hotel before finding a three bedroom cottage that they both fell in love with. It was in a nice secluded area but was closer to the town then the house they had in New Hampshire. Although they couldn't be certain that they were completely safe, they knew that since the people after them were either dead or locked up, the chance of danger was a lot lower.**_

_**He had found a job at the local a center for troubled teens and although it wasn't the marshal service he found enough similarities that he loved it even if the kids could be more trouble than some of his more difficult witnesses. Mary wasn't sure what kind of career she wanted now that they had found the right place to settle down and decided that while she worked out what she wanted to do, she was happy to get job in another local coffee shop. **_

_**Now he was wondering whether she was having second thoughts about everything now they knew for sure that couldn't go back to their old lives. He sighed, unsure if he should try and talk to her about it. He had no idea what he would do if she told him she wasn't happy. **_

_**When he heard the shower starting, he decided that he should probably get started on dinner. Even in their new lives, he knew one way to Mary's heart was through food. He was just finishing up when he heard her leave the bathroom and walk across to their bedroom. After five minutes, he headed upstairs to let her know dinner was ready but when he pushed open their bedroom door, he found her sat on the edge of the bed. **_

"_**Mare?" He said softly. "Everything okay?" **_

_**He saw her wipe her eyes with the sleeve of his hooded jumper that she was wearing. "Yeah, I'll be down in the minute…"**_

"_**You're crying." He said in concern, moving across the room to her quickly. "Mary?" **_

_**She took a deep shaky breath and tried to smile. "It's nothing." **_

"_**Hey, talk to me." He stopped her from standing up and crouched down in front of her. "Has something happened?" **_

_**She stared down at him for a few seconds, not speaking in fear that she would lose complete control.**_

_**Marshall reached up and pushed some loose hair behind her ear. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything..."**_

"_**I've messed up." She whispered.**_

"_**What does that mean?" He probed gently. "I'm sure whatever it is, it can't be that bad…"**_

"_**I'm….I'm pregnant." She said quickly before she changed her mind. **_

"_**Pregnant?" He repeated, his mouth fall open and his hand dropping from her face. "A baby?"**_

"_**I'm sorry…" **_

"_**Sorry? Sorry for what? Mare, this is…" He was about to tell it was great but trailed off. "You don't think this is a good thing?" **_

"_**We've been running for our lives…We have no family and no friends...You know I love you but we've only been together five minutes." She stated. "So, no I don't think this is a good thing."**_

_**He stayed still crouched on the floor even when she stood up and crossed over to the dressing table to pick up her brush. After running it through her wet hair a couple of time, she glanced at him in the reflection on the mirror. **_

"_**Marshall…" She sighed and turned around, unable to take the silence any longer. "We can't do this…We can't bring a child into this situation." **_

_**He put one hand on the bed to push himself back up and his other hand ran through his hair. She heard him take a deep breath before facing her. "Okay."**_

"_**Okay?" She questioned. **_

"_**I guess you're right." He shrugged, managing to give her a small smile but she could tell it was forced. "I just…"**_

"_**Just what?" She asked when he stopped. **_

"_**I just wish things were different." He said softly. "But it's not the right time or place…I get that." **_

"_**Yeah." She agreed, quietly. **_

_**He took her hand in one of his and squeezed it gently before kissing her cheek. "Dinner is ready…I'll go plate it up."**_

"_**Okay." She nodded, watching him leave their bedroom. **_

_**The rest of the evening passed without either of them discussing the pregnancy any more. Marshall had insisted of cleaning up after dinner and Mary jumped at the chance to escape. She grabbed the laptop and started to do a little research on what she would need to do to fix the problem. It seemed like such a simple procedure and she decided she would go on her own. She had no doubts that Marshall would want to be there with her every step of the way but she didn't think she could handle him being there while she got rid of his child.**_

_**Not his child…**_

_**She couldn't think of it that way…She had never planned on having children so this should be an easy decision but she couldn't get the look of Marshall's face when she had told him about the pregnancy. There had been a flash of excitement and love in his eyes before realization sunk in and it was replaced with heartbreak.**_

_**By the time Marshall was finished in the kitchen, she was even more confused than before. They both agreed that it wasn't a good time to have children and they had a good reason for that. Also, Mary wasn't even sure she wanted kids and doubted she could even be a Mom. So, why was she suddenly thinking of the possibility to go through with this?**_

"_**Mare?" Marshall touched her arm to get attention. **_

_**She jumped and looked at him. "Sorry, what was that?" **_

"_**The movie has finished." He gestured to the TV before picking up the remote and turning it off. "You okay?" **_

_**She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, guess I'm just tired." **_

_**Marshall glanced at his watch. "I've got a few things to get ready for work tomorrow but I could with an early night." **_

"_**Yeah, I think I'm going to head up now." She nodded, stretching her arms out in front of her. **_

"_**I won't be long." He promised, guilt washing over him. Both of them had seemed lost in thought all evening and he was wondering whether she was worried about his feelings. "It'll be okay, you know."**_

_**She looked at him in surprise before giving him a small smile but he saw a flash of disbelief in her eyes. "I know." **_

_**He caught hold of her hand as she stood up, squeezing it gently. "I won't be long." **_

"_**Okay." She nodded and quietly made her way out of the room.**_

_**Once she had disappeared from his sight, he sat forward and ran his hands over his eyes, letting out a loud sigh. For the last few months, he had been so busy concentrating on keeping them both safe and building a new life where they could be happy that he forgot about the future. He had always planned on having children at some point in his life but if he was honest, he hadn't thought about it at all since Mary and he had gotten together. It was going to be a hard dream to let go but he was willing to so he could stay with Mary. She was all he needed…He just hoped he was able to convince her of that. **_

_**It had taken him longer than planned to finish up his work and was surprised that Mary was still awake when he climbed into bed, even though she was pretending to sleep. Deciding that it would do no good talking about it this late at night, he led down and moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.**_

"_**I don't know if I can do it." She whispered after a few seconds.**_

"_**Do what?" He questioned, just as quietly. **_

_**She turned so she was facing him. "I never wanted kids…I'm a selfish person in a lot of ways…I loved my job and could only see a baby getting in the way of that and I liked having my own independence." **_

"_**That doesn't make you selfish, Mare." **_

"_**No?" She asked doubtfully. **_

_**He sighed. "It would be selfish to have a kid but not change your lifestyle so that they come first...It's not a crime to not want to have children." **_

"_**Yeah but there's a difference between deciding not to have children and aborting a baby…" She claimed, pausing briefly before continuing. "Aborting your baby." **_

"_**Mare…" He felt his heart break a little at those words.**_

"_**I just…I thought I was the happiest I could get in Albuquerque…A job I was good at, my family finally getting their act together, a boyfriend I didn't completely hate…I never considered…" She trailed off. **_

"_**Never considered what?" He prompted. **_

"_**I could be happier." She whispered. "When we first left…after I stopped trying to ditch you, I thought we were just making the best out of a bad situation and that was okay because that's what I've done by whole life… But this is different…We're different…We're more than that." **_

_**He reached out and cupped her cheek gently. "I love you…Nothing is going to change that." **_

_**She swallowed nervously, her eyes flicking downwards before back up at him. "I feel like we could still be more." **_

"_**More?" **_

"_**It feels wrong to just dismissive this." She told him.**_

_**Marshall stared at her for a few seconds before turning a little so he could turn on the lamp on again. When he looked back to her, she was pushing herself up to lean against the headboard, knowing that going to sleep wouldn't be anytime soon. **_

"_**So, what does this mean?" He asked. "You want to keep the baby?" **_

"_**No…I mean, I don't know." She said in frustration. "This should be an easy decision…I never wanted kids…I would be a terrible mother and we're currently on the run…"**_

"_**Okay, let's forget about you being a terrible mother and being on the run." He turned to fully face her and grabbed her hands. "You never wanted kids so what has made you have doubts? Is it because you think it's what I want?" **_

"_**Forget about being a terrible mother and being on the run?" She repeated with an eye roll. "They're pretty good reasons not to go through with this." **_

"_**We're technically not on the run anymore and you being a bad mother is just ridicules…" **_

"_**Ridicules?" **_

"_**Mare, if it's something you want then you won't let yourself fail." He stated. "Is this something you want?" **_

_**She knew she didn't want to get rid of Marshall's child but did that mean she wanted it? **_

"_**I don't know…" **_

"_**That's okay." He assured her. "We don't have to decide tonight or even tomorrow."**_

"_**But…"**_

_**He placed a finger on her lips to stop her talking any more. "We'll get a good night sleep and talk about it again tomorrow."**_

"_**Okay…" She gave a small nod.**_

"_**I'll give Nathan a call…See if there's been any change regarding our safety." He added, switching the lamp off again and laying back down; pulling on her arm gently until she rested her head on his chest. **_

"_**I guess that's a good idea…" She agreed.**_

"_**It'll be okay, Mare." He whispered. "And just remember, I'm here…No matter what we decide…You'll always have me."**_

_**She looked up at him and this time he saw no doubt or disbelief in her eyes. "I know." **_

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall stopped to check on Hannah and was relieved to see her sound asleep before walking down the hall towards what used to be Mary's old bedroom. His parents had gone to the hotel for the night and Marshall had to promise his mother three times that they would still be there in the morning when they came over for breakfast. Brandi and Peter had made a quick escape to their room and Marshall knew they did it give him and Mary as much space as possible.

"What was all that about?" He questioned as he walked into the room, seeing his wife sat on the bed.

"Just forget it." She sighed tiredly.

"You just scared the hell out of me, Mare." He walked around the bed so he was stood in front of her but made no move to get close enough to touch her.

"I scared you?!" Her head snapped up.

"You just basically told me and our families that you regret our kids!" He pointed out.

"You're twisting my words…"

"If I had said those words, you would be thinking the exact same thing as me." He claimed. "And you would probably never forgive me for it."

Her mouth opened to argue but after few seconds she looked away. "I didn't mean that."

"I know."

"Then why are we talking about this?"

"Just because I know you didn't mean it, doesn't mean it didn't freak me out to hear you say it." He told her. "Mare, you said that knowing it would hurt me and did it in an attempt to push me away…"

"Thank you, Dr. Freud…" She said sarcastically.

"We're married and we have children together." He replied. "You can't pull this crap anymore."

"And what about the crap you do?" She shot back as she got to her feet. "Always having to fix everything."

Marshall threw his hands up in the air. "This is about you thinking you rely on me for everything? You really don't believe that, do you?"

"You gave up your job and everything you knew, you dismiss the fact that you were shot and you were just hauled off to jail for the murder of your friend…" She listed. "And you're really telling me that I haven't been relying you on pretty heavily?!"

"I'm not going to apologize for helping and take care of you." He answered, calmly. "And I did nothing I didn't want to do or would do again."

"That doesn't make me feel any better!"

Marshall sighed tiredly and sat down on the bed. "Mare, after everything we've been through…After everything that has happened, why are you questioning me now?"

"It's not about questioning you…"

"You need to trust me when I say I'm not going anywhere willingly." He continued. "And I know that I cannot promise that something won't happen and I'll end up leaving but you have to know that I will go down fighting."

"I do know that…" She whispered. "But your feelings are not what scare me."

He stood again and this time he did reach out for her, taking hold of both of her hands. "Mare, for almost a year we were living our lives looking over our shoulders and staring into shadows wondering who or what hiding in there…I know that there will always be a part of us that feels that way but since moving to Maine, it's been good, hasn't it?"

She reluctantly nodded, knowing he was right but the more he talked the more stupid she felt for starting this argument.

"I don't know about you but I don't miss our old life…I don't miss working all day and most of the night and never having a life…I don't miss being terrified that something was going to happen to you or to me…I don't miss pretending I don't love you and I don't miss watching you with other men." He tugged on her hands so her body collided with his. "I love you whether you're Mary Shannon, Watkins or Hunter…You're my wife…the mother of my children and I'm always going to love you even if you drive completely insane…Which is actually a big possibility."

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly.

He barely stumbled back but his hands let go of hers and before she could say or do anymore, he framed her face and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back a few moments later, she moaned disappointedly. He rested his forehead against hers, his thumbs tracing small circles on her cheeks.

"This is real, Mare…What we have is real." He whispered, dropping one hand down to her pregnant stomach when he felt their unborn child moving against his own stomach. "I know things are a little crazy right now but we'll work out, I promise."

She stared into his eyes for what seemed like hours, wondering what she could say. Despite how much she had changed over the last few years, she still wasn't very good at this kind of conversations, where she needed to express her feelings but one thing that she loved about Marshall and what made their relationship so great was that she didn't always need to say the words. He already knew.

She was saved from speaking by the sound of Hannah crying.

"You should get her." Mary took a step back but caught hold of his hand, squeezing it lightly. "She'll want you."

"You're here Mother."

"Come on, Marshall…" She let out a small laugh. "Honestly, I know I acted a little crazy tonight but I understand…You're her Daddy…She absolutely adores and I love the relationship the two of you have."

"She's probably just got scared about waking up alone." He guessed. "Maybe she should sleep with us tonight?"

"You'll be the one that's pushed out when we take over the bed…"

"It's true, you both do like to stretch out while you sleep but I can put up with it for tonight for my three girls." He replied teasingly. "Go get her before she wakes up the whole street."

"She won't want me…"

"Mare, you're forgetting that you spend all day with her while I'm at work…She only acts up when the baby is mention and yes, I know we need to deal with it but it's not going to help matters if you take a step back."

"I guess you're right…" She sighed and turned towards the door. "But I'm blaming you if she starts screaming louder when she sees me."

"Yes dear…"

She glanced back him from the doorway. "Oh and by the way, it's for your two girls and your boy."

"If you say so…" He grinned at her.

He saw her roll her eyes before disappearing from sight and once he was alone, he let out a long sigh. As much as he loved seeing his family and friends again, he wished they were back in Maine where Mary very rarely had any moments of insecurity when it came to their lives and family.

As he changed into something to sleep in, he couldn't help but smile when he heard Hannah fall silent; knowing that Mary would be able to calm their daughter despite what she thought. He turned off the lights, except for the one of the bedside table and climbed into bed just a few seconds before he heard them.

"You have to be really quiet because people are sleeping…" Mary whispered as she carried Hannah into the room.

"Is Daddy sleeping?" She peered down at her father who was led on his side facing them with his eyes closed.

"Why don't you check?" Mary placed her on the bed and watched as she crawled across to Marshall.

Just as the little girl reached out to touch him, he grabbed her and started tickling her. "What are you doing in my bed?"

Hannah screamed with delight and laughed as she tried to squirm away from him. "Daddy! Mama said!"

"Mama said you can sleep here?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded.

"Oh well, I guess if Mama said then its okay with me."

"Are you two just going to hog the whole bed?" Mary asked with her hands on her hip.

Marshall wrapped one arm around Hannah, pulling her to his side of bed, causing her to giggle and then held his other hand out to help Mary climb onto the bed.

"Get in here, we're waiting for you." He said teasingly.

She slowly lowered herself to the bed, remembering how much easier it had been just a few weeks ago. She turned on her side to so she was facing them and saw Hannah yawning and blinking, trying to keep her eyes open but was failing. When she glanced up, she smiled when she saw Marshall was watching her too and she reached over their daughter to take his hand. When he felt her fingers thread through his and looked at her, giving her a small smile.

"Goodnight, Mare…" He brought their joined hands to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

"Night." She whispered back and took one last look at Hannah before closing her eyes, the long day finally catching up with her as she fell in deep, peaceful sleep.

**TBC**

**Bit of a roller-coaster of a chapter. As perfect as I think Mary and Marshall are together, I can't imagine them not arguing (to be honest, when don't they argue). Not many chapters left now! **


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